One of the plaintiffs, Anthony Flagg, is a 21-year old man who alleges that some of the misconduct occurred during overnight trips to various cities.
"Long shared a bedroom and engaged in intimate sexual contact with plaintiff Flagg including kissing, massaging, masturbating of plaintiff Flagg by defendant Long and oral sexual contact," according to the lawsuit.
Long's spokesman, Art Franklin stated that "we categorically deny the allegations. It is very unfortunate that someone has taken this course of action. Our law firm will be able to respond once attorneys have had an opportunity to review the lawsuit."
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified amounts in financial damages and accuses Long on multiple counts, including negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, etc.
Well, it seems that while the summer in Atlanta was hot, the fall is going to be even hotter. I've never met Bishop Eddie Long, but I've always known of his vast presence in the city of Atlanta and throughout the world. He is second-to-none when it comes to mega pastors, and is certainly an historical figure.
At the same time, one has to be quite curious to determine if there is any merit to this lawsuit. I would imagine that if this form of behavior were going on in the past, there'd be rumors circulating throughout the black church community. I am not aware of such rumors, but once again, I don't run in the circle of black clergy.
The irony of this lawsuit is that it re-opens the ugly door about homosexuality within the black church. While African Americans lead the nation when it comes to homophobia, there are legions of black gay men throughout the black community, many of whom feel that they have to hide who they truly are. I feel sorry for these men, and hope that perhaps one day, we can find it in our hearts to accept them.
Again, without saying whether or not the allegations against Bishop Long are true, it seems that we can sort this issue into exactly what would be wrong if Long were guilty of any of the things for which he's being accused. There is nothing illegal about sleeping with a 21-year old. There is also nothing illegal about being gay (whether it's part-time or full-time). This incident would not make him a child molester either. At worst, he would be guilty of various forms of sexual harassment, which might be questionable in light of the fact that these men may have chosen to share a room with Long on these trips. I also wonder, if there was indeed coercion, exactly how Long might have forced them to have sex. It's easy for someone to sleep with a person, get disgruntled, and then claim that you forced them into it. That's why I highly recommend against sleeping with someone you deal with on the job. While it's easy to presume that Long did something wrong, we have to remember that there are always people out there seeking to get money out of famous people by blackmailing their public image. I expect that the courts will help the public sort through the facts of this case.
Let's be clear folks: Any potential misconduct on the part of Bishop Eddie Long in this sex scandal would only go as deep as sexual harassment/coercion and the ethical violations that come with preaching the bible on Sundays and possibly doing "unbiblical things" for the rest of the week. But if you consider all the folks who go to church on Sunday and live a double life on the side, it might seem that nearly all the members of the black church would be guilty of things more dramatic than anything I could repeat on this page (that's where all the Tyler Perry movies come from). Oh yeah, there's also that little thing about Bishop Long being married, but I'll let his wife work that one out. This is certainly going to be interesting and life-changing for tens of thousands of people, and for that reason, this is a sad day for the African American church.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.