Ben Jealous is the current Democratic challenger of incumbent GOP Gov. Larry Hogan in the race to be Maryland’s next governor.
Jealous is a civil rights leader and the former head of the NAACP who has attracted widespread support from Democrats and civil rights groups alike. Last month, he won his party’s primary in the race for the governorship.
But the National Black Church Initiative isn’t pleased about his candidacy.
Shortly after Jealous won his party’s nomination, it recently released a bizarre statement attacking him for supporting “raw naked sex” between men.
Apparently, the beef between NCBI and Jealous started way back in 2012 when Obama first voiced his support of gay marriage.
In a statement issued last week, the 501(c)3 hate group wrote: “When President Obama came out in support of same-sex marriage, the NAACP and Ben Jealous took that opportunity to condemn the Black Church’s stance for Biblical marriage.”
Apparently, the NBCI still holds a grudge about all that.
The statement continues: “Ben Jealous and the NAACP said to us that we were bigots, that we were haters and that we did not deserve to even be Black because we opposed two men and two women having raw naked sex together and calling that a marriage.”
The statement went on to accuse the NAACP of being greedy and criticized the organization for accepting money from gay people.
“They pushed African American interests second and promoted the interests of their donors, particularly their gay donors, over and above the agenda of the African American community,” the statement reads.
It continues: “This is why the Black Church will have nothing to do with Ben Jealous, his politics and his supporters. He is being supported by every national gay and lesbian and LGBTQ organization in the country.”
Hmmm. Our guess is Jealous wants “nothing to do with” them either.
Related: Ivanka Trump just gave $50,000 to an antigay megachurch because of course she did
Xzamilloh
I’m not doing the #VoteBlueNoMatterWho crap, because that’s exactly how we ended up with a candidate like Clinton, who lost to EFFING TRUMP, and feckless Democrats like Pelosi and Schumer, and red Democrats like Joe Manchin and Doug Jones. We gotta start running candidates that galvanize the base, and establishment Democrats care too damn much about corporations than their base, and that’s how Republicans like it.
So, yes, get out and vote, but vote for progressive Democrats that are grassroots for the people, and not beholden to their bottom line. Put Kamala Harris or Kirsten Gillibrand against Trump in 2020, and we will lose again… and NO, it’s not sexism, because Elizabeth Warren would give Trump a run for his money, or Bernie Sanders.
Kangol
Psst: we are not going to get a more progressive Democrat than Doug Jones elected to a statewide seat in Alabama. Same with Manchin. Should the Democrats win the Senate both of their votes–and Heitkamp’s, McCaskill’s, etc.–will prove invaluable.
Also, Clinton was a terrible candidate, but as becomes clearer every day, the Trumpkin had help from a hostile foreign power. The chief questions now are, how extensively did he and his associates actively and criminally conspire with Russia to win the election. It’s looking worse for him and them by the day. Cohen’s lies have been exposed, as have Sesssions’, Prince’s, Flynn’s, Stone’s, Trump Jr.’s, etc. And Trumpkin himself lies so much it’s clear he wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him in the tuches.
I agree about voting for progressive Democrats. In some states, though, voters don’t have a choice. I mean, do you vote for a third-party candidate or hold your nose and vote for Heitkamp? In New Jersey, do voters vote for the Republican, who sounds “moderate” but very well would fall right in line with Trump, or do they hold their nose and vote for Menendez? In Missouri, do Democrats support McCaskill or not vote, and let right-wing fanatic Josh Hawley, who was closely linked to Missouri’s scandal-plagued ex gov Greitens into office? And when it comes down to it, as awful as Hillary Clinton was in some ways, there is no way on earth she would have been as much of a corrupt, lying, racist treasonous burning Dumpster fire as Trumpkin. I mean, he’s basically made things *worse* with North Korea than either Bush or Obama did, and doesn’t seem to realize it, nor do his cultists!
Zombiez8mybrain
As long as candidates represent the party and not the people, I expect to see nonsense like this continue. It’s how we got Trump.
dwes09
Bernie Sanders is over. He has shot his wad and would not be a viable candidate at all. Nor would the majority of Democrats support him. And Warren, who would be excellent, has repeatedly said she has no desire to run. You cannot advance a candidate who does not want the position.
Harris and Gillibrand don’t yet have the experience, though certainly they’d be much better for the country than Trump could possibly be. I’d vote for Harris in a second! As for castigating Schumer and Pelosi, that is a loser’s game just slightly less damaging than the “both parties are exactly the same” crap. Both of them have stood up for LGBT people, people of color and progressive causes in ways that no republican ever has or ever would. corporations are where the money is, money is how the races are won, and like the two parties, not all corporations or corporate cultures are the same. Some support progressive causes to varying degrees, some are regressive. The republicans are simply in bed with different ones and lie about it. Don’t buy their lies.
As for how we got Trump, that is because too many Democrats and conflicted republicans stayed home allowing the election to be determined entirely by the unfortunate skew of the electoral college system.
Xzamilloh
You don’t get bare minimum points for paying lip service to the LGBT community, not in 2018, especially when you’re not even fighting for social programs and universal healthcare that would greatly benefit frans women. And please shut the hell up about how Bernie is over, because you don’t know jack squat. Because if you did, you’d see that he is still by far and wide the most popular congressman on the Hill right now, and was the only candidate that was polled as beating Trump.
People like you are exactly why nothing in the Democratic party changes…. you vote for a bunch of elite corporatists who are the better of two bad choices (Republicans) and instead of getting people to fight for us, they’re tepidly admonishing Trump for bad speak, but praising his move to Jerusalem, or voting to expand espionage, or overwhelming supporting MORE wars.
And Kangol, I love you man, but I call BS. If Susan Collins, a Republican, can back Republican policy in a blue State like Maine, there is no reason why Manchin and Jones can vote along Democratic lines when it matters.. because as it is, the three of them are likely going to vote to confirm Kavanaugh to SCOTUS, and then what the hell is the point of having Democrats that vote right wing on important issues?
Kangol
Back to the article, the NBCI is a fringe group, so of course they get a megaphone from Queerty. As for Ben Jealous, he would be a progressive choice for Maryland, which is a pretty liberal state, and his chances look good, though the Republican governor is popular and has not jumped off the deep end into Trumplandia. Telling too that these religious zealots are obsessed, as always, with gay male sex. I bet they know a bit more about it and have quite a bit of practice than they dare let on.
paul dorian lord fredine
well, when they sing ‘swing low’ they might not always be talking about chariots.
Doug
Isn’t sex usually raw and naked?
lambchopp59
I facepalmed at that one as well. Apparently, hetero sex must be clothed, cooked, sterilized, santized then wrapped in Saran plastic sheets to maintain freshness and unoriginality in the freezer. God forbid the children get any ideas other than the stork comes with little brother and no one but cisgendered heterosexists can kiss.
Glass housed hetero’s shouldn’t be throwing stones, lest someone unveil their putrid truths in kind.
Godabed
naked yes, raw no. Unless you are looking to get an STI this isn’t the 1920’s sweetheart.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
The group sounds like whole lotta repressed wishful thinking…
As far as voting we are at a critical juncture of our rights. No bullshit about progressive, liberal, or any other labels. EVERY GAY PERSON HAS TO GET THE FCUK OUT AND VOTE DEMOCRATIC
Aires the Ram
@plays well w/others: So every gay person has to vote democratic huh?? What if you’re gay, you don’t believe in open borders, you don’t believe in globalism, you don’t like unfair trade that costs the US workforce jobs, you aren’t anti-law enforcement, anti-I.C.E., anti-Border Patrol, and anti-military? Hmmm, what if you like the current unemployment reports, especially those for women, hispanics and blacks, and the entire country? Seems your claim that we all “have to” get out and vote Democrat, falls flat on its face when the fact remains, and will always remain, that not all gay people in this country march to the same drummer, and a great many of us do not want to see our country destroyed from within with illegal immigration and the like.
DHT
Sounds like they are also saying if you vote Republican no more gay sex so I am right there with you in voting Democrat across the ticket!
Bob LaBlah
Hey Aires (and by the way, shouldn’t it be aRies?), didnt he inherit this economy from Obama? And what sort of turmoil did Obama throw the country in (and don’t forget he too (Obama) was corralling latinos at the border until he was made to stop)? And if we intend to have the economy grow and the hispanics don’t show up to take those slave wage jobs in the restaurants of NYC, L.A. and other places where for whatever reason they are paraded as proof of a bustling economy whose going to take their place?
lambchopp59
Disregard the Reagan worshiping fascist below, whom Ronnie himself would disown. What was that they praised Ronnie for… Mr Gorbechev… Tear down this WALL!!!
I agree, G.O.T.gayVote.
95 percent I know would never vote against their own interests.
This hispanophile from a hispaniphilic family sure as hell wouldn’t.
Tête Carrée
@Aires the Ram
How about anti-burning gays at the stake?
“a great many of us do not want to see our country destroyed from within”. Too late. That happened with gay marriage. Or was it abolishing DADT, gay work and housing rights protection, that gay kiss on TV, Ellen, the naked gay sex parade, gay teachers, non Anita Bryant blessed (spat in) orange juice, etc.?
Bob LaBlah
@Aires (the way he spells it, not me) the Ram: ““a great many of us do not want to see our country destroyed from within”. Too late.”
What contributions to American society are being made in the red states where nearly all rural counties (or to be more specific, where the majority of poor whites who vote GOP live in those red states) school districts are on a four day week with no advanced math and science?
Bob LaBlah
““They pushed African American interests second and promoted the interests of their donors, particularly their gay donors, over and above the agenda of the African American community,” the statement reads.”
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the last I heard your major contributors and THEIR issues get priority over whiners with nothing to offer but complaints and empty pockets. Get real. Their base is dwindling, not expanding, and thats whats frightening these reverends. Their hard core believers are passing away and the lack of the Easter hat parades at many of the mega churches proves their legacy is as well. It sounds a lot like Jealous has told a few of these bible thumpers where to go and they don’t like it.
Birdbrain1963
This is wonderful, but just remember there are many other candidates in an election choice, other than Republicans and Democrats………………………………………………………………………….
Aires the Ram
True Birdbrain1963. The gays who scream “vote my way or I’ll unfriend you”, or some such drivel, don’t have this concept. Lemmings & sheep come to mind.
DHT
I’m not taking any chances…I’m voting Democrat!
Tête Carrée
“Sweet Jesus, thank you for 400 years of slavery.
Sincerely, Fat Ass Black Lady”.
Landmark101
Yeah. Get out and vote for real !!! If you ever need to know if he is cheating on you, hiding his phones and keeping passwords. Contact an ethical mobile phone hacker with vast experience in hacking through any smart phone. ”P R O V I D E N C E H A C K E R at G M A I L . C O M” all he needs is your target’s phone number and the rest is successful access to whatsApp messages , facebook Messenger , viber, imessages and access to all other Apps located and operating on the target’s phone.
Look out for yourself , know the right partner and do not jump deep into a dishonest relationship.