the black community can actually get somewhere. That is, according to Rev. Willie Wilson of Union Temple Baptist Church in DC. He expounded upon some of his uplifting opinions earlier this month during a controversial sermon in which he warned that “lesbianism is about to take over our community” and that ?Sisters [are] making more money than brothers and it?s creating problems in families… that?s one of the reasons many of our women are becoming lesbians.?

Well call me a monkey’s uncle. I thought it was ’cause of playing too much sports.

But his opinions don’t surprise me. I have noticed this vaguely misogynistic undertone among many in the black church in recent years; this belief that until now was confined to the pulpit that young black girls are “turning into lesbians” at an alarming rate. Now, I know Florence isn’t the most cutting edge place in the world, and I know that Charlotte is still on the come-up, but I think if there was a lesbian craze, my never-could-get-a-boyfriend self would have at least known about it (or maybe I was too homely for the butch girls, too?) I really don’t know where it’s coming from.

What does surprise me is that this pastor has done work in the past to “build bridges between gay and straight African Americans.” He has instituted a widely acclaimed AIDS outreach program in his church. So why did he choose now to espouse his pretermitive views? Given his role as a leader of the Millions More March it’s as if he’s deliberately trying to alienate the black gay community.

To me, the sermon is more shocking for his imagery than his philosphy. A lot of preachers (and parishioners) agree with his beliefs, but I’m just not used to hearing about strap-ons and butt grease on Sunday morning. But that brings me back to the question I’ve been asking since I was old enough to fashion it: why are so many “Christians” so obsessed with homosexuality?

I hear so many people talking about how they put a stop to their daughters’ “dressing like a boy,” but is anybody stopping their sons from calling girls bitches and ‘hos at every turn? So many parents take issue with their sons playing with their sisters’ dolls or “acting like sissies,” so they turn around and buy them toy guns instead. The real underlying problems are so often neglected, while society only focuses on the superficial, “what’s everybody going to think” type junk.

It really bothers me when I see a girl like Kristin, a precious little girl who will no doubt blossom into a gorgeuos young lady (sooner than we’d all like), relectant to buy a skirt that doesn’t reach her ankles or a summer top that reaches her knees because the boys at school tease and disrespect her about having a shape. Has anyone ever thought that maybe that’s the reason so many young girls, and young ladies, have no desire to date or “mess with” any of the man-boys they meet? Not because they’d rather be with each other, but because they’d rather be alone than deal with a mess of a “man.” Can we focus on raising a generation of men worthy of our daughters, instead of alienating a generation of women stuck between surrender and solitude?