Donna Payne on Obama and the LGBT Community Video Player
In today's interview Ms. Donna Payne, Associate Director of Diversity for the Human Rights Campaign, grades the Obama administration's performance on issues such as HIV/AIDS policy, Hate Crimes Legislation, Gays in the military, and same-sex marriage. She also talks about relations between the LGBT community and the African-American Church.
Faith Complex is hosted by Jacques Berlinerblau, produced by Thomas Banchoff and sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs and the Program for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University.
Today, we learn a little about Ms. Payne who showed herself to be a delightfully generous conversational partner (She is also First Vice Chair for the National Black Justice Coalition which is "a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering black same-gender-loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.")
Reviewing the video I confess to having experienced "Interviewer's Remorse"--kicking myself for not asking a very particular question.
Ms. Payne addressed the issue of the extent of homophobia in the African-American community and also spoke about her own difficulties as a lesbian coming out to her family and friends. Many of these folks were involved in the Civil Rights Movement and the question I should have asked would have gone something like this: "Why were people who witnessed, experienced (and fought) discrimination throughout their lives so resistant to recognize the discrimination experienced by gay brothers and sisters?"
Our discussion raises the possibility that African-America is moored to traditional pillars of Christian theology that are vehemently homophobic. On the other hand, Ms. Payne strongly articulates the position that the Black Church is changing and that better days may be ahead.
This is a lively and informative conversation, one that left me with the impression that although things are improving for same-gender loving Americans, the legislative agenda is still, in Ms. Payne's words, "moving slow."
Jacques Berlinerblau is the Rabbi Harold White Chair in Jewish Civilization in Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service and senior advisor to the Center for Jewish Civilization, where he was director from 2006 to June 2020. Berlinerblau has published on a wide variety of issues ranging from the sociology of heresy and modern Jewish intellectuals to African-American and Jewish-American relations.
