The Black Church and the Politics of Sexuality

Abstract

Recently the Supreme Court handed down two monumental decisions as it relates to human rights. The first involved the University of Michigan’s Affirmative Action policies. The second case involved The Texas sodomy law. As we all now know, the Supreme Court handed down its ruling on the Michigan case on June 23, 2003. Though burdened with the ambiguity of a divided court, the June 23, 2003 decision seemed to uphold in principle Affirmative Action policies as a way of achieving diversity. Several days later, the court handed down its decision concerning the sodomy case, the case officially known as Lawrence and Garner v. Texas. This particular case dealt with the Texas Penal Code, commonly referred to as The Homosexual Conduct Statue. This particular statue criminalizes sexual activity between homosexual persons even if the acts are consensual. The case before the court concerned two men who were arrested after a police officer noticed them engaged in sexual activity in one of the men’s bedroom. The court ruled that the Texas penal code was in fact unconstitional and it infringed upon the rights of homosexual persons.

Yes, it does indeed mean something—something unspeakable—to be born, in a white country, an Anglo-Teutonic, antisexual country, black.¹

It is very important to remember what it means to be born in a Protestant Puritan country, with all the taboos placed on the flesh, and have at the same time in this country such a vivid example of a decent pagan imagination and the sexual liberty with which white people invest Negroes—and then penalize them for…. It’s a guilt about flesh. In this country the Negro pays for that guilt which white people have about flesh.²

a woman who loves other women, sexually and/or non-sexually…. She is committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female.³