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I know you're in a difficult position here trying to balance these two constituencies -- but by keeping McClurkin on the tour, didn't you essentially choose your Christian constituency over your gay constituency? The Obama campaign has recruited several gospel acts, including Donnie McClurkin, for a statewide tour to begin this week in Charleston.

Look, these kinds of issues are going to crop up inevitably through the course of campaigns. The fact that he has called homosexuality a "curse" that runs against "the intention of God" rips open the wounds of so many gay African-Americans who have been "prayed over" for years by family and friends who endeavor to save them from their "shameful" fate.

As Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign put it once the din to pull the controversial singer had reached a fever pitch midweek, "There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin's message for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies.

McClurkin, an award-winning gospel singer who has also struggled with his sexuality for years, is a one-man personification of the craggy crossroads between black gays and Christians. He doesn't need to. In a recent episode of TV One's "Uncensored," McClurkin talked about his sexual past.

But rather than oust McClurkin, the campaign found a third way, officially adding gay minister Andy Sidden to the tour on Wednesday. The most significant factor that keeps the Black Church on the down-low are closeted, homophobic ministers.

Obama Criticized Over Singer

These people of faith may be operating in part out of unfamiliarity, or they may be insular in terms of how they're viewing LGBT issues, they may not understand how what they say may be hurtful, and the only way for us to be able to communicate that is to show up.

Obama: Don’t pander to homophobes In a bid for the black church vote, the candidate is about to tour South Carolina with antigay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin at his side. It just so happened that it popped up on the screen in this particular instance.

We can try to pretend these issues don't exist and then be surprised when a gay marriage amendment pops up and is surprisingly successful in a state.

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Having said that, we viewed this simply as an opportunity to have a gospel concert as part of our overall outreach, and since he was singing at a concert along with a number of other artists, as opposed to being a spokesperson for us, probably it didn't undergo the same kind of vet that someone who was serving as a surrogate for me might have.

Because McClurkin believes that sexuality is a choice, Obama sought to immediately. The inclusion of McClurkin brings two things into relief at this critical juncture in the Obama campaign when he needs to translate his substantial fund-raising sums into votes.

Part of the reason that we have had a faith outreach in our campaigns is precisely because I don't think the LGBT community or the Democratic Party is served by being hermetically sealed from the faith community and not in dialogue with a substantial portion of the electorate, even though we may disagree with them.

Part of what I have done in my campaign and in my career is be willing to go to churches and talk to ministers and tell them exactly what I think. A look at the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

An Advocate. When the Obama campaign announced that Donnie McClurkin would be among the featured singers on the presidential candidate's gospel tour in South Carolina this weekend, it inadvertently ventured into the void between African-American Christians and gays and lesbians.

He is a Pentecostal minister.

VIEWS Pastor Donnie McClurkin

Gospel music is one of many ways the campaign is trying to reach black evangelicals in South. Senator Barack Obama is drawing criticism for signing up a gospel singer with controversial views about gay men and lesbians for his campaign in South Carolina.

Some black gay activists I've spoken to say this doesn't make them question Obama the senator, but it does make them question the campaign -- do they really understand the nuances of these issues, are they really sitting down and talking with gay folks, because it seems like this decision came purely through the lens of faith?

Barack Obama's campaign announced that Donnie McClurkin would be among the featured singers on the presidential candidate's gospel tour in South Carolina this weekend, it inadvertently ventured into the void between African-American Christians and gays and lesbians.

And go straight at some of these issues of homophobia that exist in the church in a way that no other candidate has done.

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Senator Obama: Obviously, not vetted to the extent that people were aware of his attitudes with respect to gay and lesbians, LGBT issues -- at least not vetted as well as I would have liked to see. McClurkin, an award-winning gospel singer who has also struggled with his sexuality for years, is a one-man personification of the craggy crossroads between black gays and Christians.

But I assure you, I am not the only candidate who's got a black minister or a white minister who's supporting them prominently who subscribes to similar views. Exploring the complex relationship between Black churches and gay marriage, as Obama navigates the political landscape.

I believe that's important.

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“Embrace the Change,” which was intended to unite the African-American faith community in support of Obama’s campaign, has brought on a firestorm of criticism from the gay community for its inclusion of McClurkin—a former homosexual who now preaches a message of restoration from the gay lifestyle.

I think the better strategy is to take it head on and we've got to show up. For LGBT people, it prompts the question, Weren't Obama and, by extension, the people who run his campaign versed enough in the pain of the people he calls his "gay brothers and sisters" to see the McClurkin land mine before they rolled over it?

Is McClurkin popularity and willingness to embrace Obama -- a staunch supporter of gay right's -- more important than the sensitivies of Obama's gay donors?. Pastor Donnie McClurkin- a three-time Gospel Grammy winner and the former poster boy for African American ex-gay ministries -is one example.

Obama speaks with The Advocate about McClurkin, gay issues, and the state of his campaign. And can Obama really, as he claims, create the "big tent" movement he's been selling, where voters who vehemently disagree on something as fundamental as what constitutes love put aside their differences to rally around a single candidate?

It's important to recognize that these are issues that every Democratic candidate who has African-American ministers as supporters may have to confront.