If there was any doubt that the alleged fifth accuser in the Eddie Long gay sex scandal is gay, there is no doubt now.
Centino Kemp, who is believed to be the fifth young man to accuse Long of using his position as head of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to sexually coerce them in exchange for lavish gifts and exotic trips, appeared on Kandi Koated Nights on Wednesday.
The show, hosted by Kandi Burruss, the Grammy-award winner and star of "Real Housewives of Atlanta," brought Kemp onto the show to discuss what she always talks about on her show — sex.
CNN anchor Don Lemon, who recently came out as gay, moderated a panel discussion on black LGBT issues during the annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People conference in Los Angeles over the weekend. Panel participants included out comedian Wanda Sykes, civil rights activist Julian Bond and other leaders in the black gay community and focused on a wide variety of topics from homophobia and hypocrisy in the black church to reaching out to allies in the community.
The two hour discussion was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center during the organization's 102nd annual conference.
There were contentious moments during the discussion, when NAACP CEO Benjamin Jealous was asked how the NAACP could be taken seriously as an advocate for LGBT equality when members of its board have made public anti-gay statements in the recent past.
Before yesterday, not many people knew the name Centino Kemp. But after Fox 5 Atlanta reporter Dale Russell broke the story that Kemp, an aspiring musician, was the unknown fifth accuser in the Bishop Eddie Long sex scandal, his name is rapidly becoming well-known.
An unedited MySpace profile of Kemp written a few years ago has this bio of him, including how he found his love for music while singing in his church choir:
"He is best known for being Promiscuous in his appearance in several minor film roles and lead roles in drama plays in the Bahamas he is one of the most determined, original, genuine and talented male teenager in the Bahamas. he has that pop sound, with soulful and related, down to earth lyrics. he has the love for R&B/pop and hip-hop and soca music.
The GA Voice won two second-place awards in this year's Better Newspaper Contest, sponsored by the National Newspaper Association.
Deputy Editor Dyana Bagby won second place in the category of Best Investigative or In-Depth Story or Series, Non-daily Division, circulation 6,000 - 9,999, for her article "Eddie Long scandal 'blows hinges off church's closet doors'."
"Difficult stories like this can follow many paths. Good coverage such as seen here informs the community while providing an opportunity for growth," the judges noted.
The GA Voice website www.thegavoice.com, spearheaded by Web Manager Ryan Watkins, won second place for Best Newspaper Web Site, Non-daily Division.
On the heels of Bishop Eddie Long's settlement with four young men who sued him for alleged sexual coercion, Bernice King confirmed Tuesday that she is leaving New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.
"I know there has been lots of speculation and comments about my departure from New Birth," King told radio host Rhodell Lewis on Praise 102.5 FM. King is the daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr. and late Coretta Scott King.
"Let me start by just clarifying to let all your listeners and others who may be listening in that ... after eight years and eight months my last Sunday as a member of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church was this past Sunday," King said.
Bishop Eddie Long, head of megachurch New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, has apparently decided to settle lawsuits brought by four young men who alleged he sexually coerced them as teens.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported today that the attorney for New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and LongFellow Academy, also named in the lawsuits, said the lawsuits “will be dismissed, with prejudice, by close of business tomorrow.”
On Thursday, a "Resolution Statement" was posted on New Birth's website that read:
"After a series of discussions, all parties involved have decided to resolve the civil cases out of court. This decision was made to bring closure to this matter and to allow us to move forward with the plans God has for this ministry.
"As is usually the case when civil lawsuits resolve out of court, we cannot discuss any details regarding the resolution or the resolution process, as they are confidential.
"This resolution is the most reasonable road for everyone to travel."
In a statement from the attorney representing the the four male clients:
"Regarding the lawsuits filed against Bishop Eddie Long, New Birth Baptist Church and the Longfellow Academy, plaintiffs' attorney BJ Bernstein's only comment is as follows: 'The matter has been resolved.'
Cynthia Tucker, former editorial page editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now tucked away in Washington, D.C., as the paper's national political columnist, doesn't mince words when talking about Eddie Long.
Long, the minister at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, was sued for allegedly coercing young male church members into sexual relationships. A settlement between Long, the church and the four men is reportedly close at hand. Long denied all accusations.
But in her blog today, Tucker calls out Long as a "homophobe, narcissist and a con artist."
"Given Long’s extremely flexible ethics over the years, it’s no surprise that he chose to engage in hush-hush negotiations aimed at settling the sexual misconduct allegations brought against him by four young men," Tucker writes.
"If the civil cases are settled — a settlement is reportedly close — they will likely require non-disclosure agreements by all parties. Long would then continue to insist that he did nothing wrong."
Some claim to love the sinner but hate the sin, while others simply love to hate us. Some think we make God angry enough to cause hurricanes and earthquakes, while others pour millions of dollars that could help needy people into keeping us from marriage.
Their strategies may vary, but their goal is the same: imposing their interpretations of the Bible on our civil rights. Here are 10 of the most anti-gay religious people or groups we face.
Lawyers representing Bishop Eddie Long, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and the four young men who have accused Long of sexual coercion met in a DeKalb courtroom today to discuss the next phase of the lawsuits.
According to WSB, a tentative date of February has been set to begin mediation. A tentative date of early July was also announced for trials to begin.
Attorney Bonnie Bernstein, who represents the four plaintiffs, said today that she wanted each plaintiff to have his own trial. Long’s attorney said he was not ready to commit to four separate trials. Both attorneys said each trial could last a week.
Dr. Creflo Dollar of Atlanta's World Changers Church spoke out during his Oct. 31 sermon against Bishop Jim Swilley of Church in the Now, after Swilley came out to his congregation in mid October.
Dollar, who didn’t use Swilley’s name specifically, said during his sermon that Swilley’s address to his congregation about his homosexuality would do more harm than good for struggling youth contemplating suicide.
“The Bible says that even the very elect will be deceived. Unfortunately ladies and gentlemen, it seems like we’re almost there. Especially when you have preachers getting up in their pulpit saying, ‘I’m gay, and there’s nothing wrong with it.’