Filed under: News
One of the interesting things about the academy is that it is designed to help young men along a "masculine journey" to manhood. The organization is also set up to teach "sexual purity" and physical fitness. Two of the young men who were involved in this organization are the ones filing suit against Long.
The program is able to brag about having a 100 percent high school graduation rate, which is virtually unheard of for black boys in public schools. One of the boys, Jamal Parris, said that Bishop Long claimed he would "protect him and never let another man hurt him." He says that Long was a father figure to him.
His accusers say that Bishop Long used the bible to justify their sexual activity. However, there are others who say that the program helped them to significantly improve their lives. One of the graduates, Marcus Hughes, says that Long was a "spiritual father." Hughes is now the director of the program. He did not, however, comment on the case when contacted by the media.
"This idea that the pastor is in charge, that the pastor should be paid a lot of money, that people should listen to the pastor ... these are common themes that run through these scandals involving these pastors alleged to have coerced their congregants into either giving them money or having sex with them," Sarah Posner author of "God's Profits," told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
No pun intended, but the Eddie Long scandal has had me scratching my head for a very long time now (did you get the corny joke?). I'm trying to sort fact from fiction, and working to determine that which is relevant vs. meaningless. The allegations are clearly disturbing, and Long is potentially positioned with both legal and ethical problems resulting from this case.
An attorney is going to analyze the Long case differently from a parishioner, who might see the case differently from any random observer watching all this unfold in the media. As I went to speak on the matter on CNN and MSNBC, I spent time seeking truth in my own heart so that I might be able to provide insight that is independent of my own biases. There are quite a few ways to determine whether or not Long actually did something wrong.
The first question that many people are asking is whether or not Eddie Long is gay. If he is, that puts him in direct contrast with his conservative Republican, anti-gay public image, effectively making him look like a serious hypocrite. His congregation would also have reason to be disappointed with Long for breaking the word of God while preaching it. I am sure there may be some bible verse somewhere that exonerates him no matter what he might have done, but that wouldn't fly very far with me.
Then, there is the legal issue of whether or not he actually coerced these young men into having sex. That's where I am led to question the hard ball negotiating tactics of the plantiff's attorney, BJ Bernstein. While Bernstein is doing a very good job of proving that Long bought gifts for the young men and sent pictures of himself looking physically fit in the mirror, she has not yet (in my mind), proven that he forced anyone to have sex with him. By being so aggressive in the beginning, it may be the case that Bernstein is working to hold Long's public image hostage to negotiate a higher dollar figure for the settlement. Proving that Eddie Long might be gay is very different from proving that he coerced someone into having sex with him.
I can't agree with the idea of letting Eddie Long off the hook, at least until all the evidence is made available. If it were the case that he condemned gay men during the day and slept with them at night, this seriously undermines his credibility as a spiritual advisor to the thousands of people who follow him. Also, the age of the boys at the time Bishop Long allegedly became sexually involved with them could also be problematic. But if the boys were over the age of 18 and there was mutual attraction, then who am I to stand in the way of true love?
One final point that must be considered in the case of Eddie Long is the fact that he may possibly be a victim. It is not inconceivable that the sudden decision of the plaintiffs to file suit was driven by some kind of disgruntlement. There was once a very odd case here at Syracuse University where a professor was sleeping with a student, with the student filing sexual misconduct charges against the professor months after the end of the relationship. While I would never condone the idea of a professor sleeping with a student (an absolute no-no), the case appeared to be one party exploiting the vulnerability of another. So, like the professor silly enough to risk his entire career to sleep with a student, a famous pastor would be risking his reputation by sleeping with anyone in his congregation. When things go wrong, the public figure has a lot to lose and people sometimes take advantage of that.
In order for the accusations against Long to be fraudulent, it would not have to be the case that Bishop Long is being falsely portrayed as being gay or bisexual. Instead, he may actually have a vulnerability in his sex life that is being exploited by those who are seeking to publicly extort money from him. This is not out of the question, so perhaps all options should be considered before we condemn Bishop Long to both hell and the poorhouse for whatever it is that he's accused of doing.
One last thing we shouldn't do is believe any and everything Bishop Long says without questioning him. One of the reasons Catholic priests were able to victimize so many young people over the years is because no one believed the children when they came to discuss what had happened to them. The priest was beyond being questioned, which opened the door for sexual predators to do their dirty work. Protecting our kids is paramount, but we must also protect adults from being falsely accused. This case is far from over.
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.