Can a Megachurch Pastor Serve All Detroiters?
LGBTQ+ voters grapple with Rev. Solomon Kinloch's mayoral bid amid rising anti-queer violence nationwide
Detroit’s mayoral election has become a flashpoint for the city’s LGBTQ+ community, as a megachurch pastor’s bid for office forces voters to weigh faith, fear and the future of inclusion in City Hall.
For the first time since 2013, Detroiters will choose a mayor without an incumbent on the ballot on Nov. 4. One of two candidates, the other being City Council President Mary Sheffield, is the pastor of a large church — a local religious leader whose church’s doctrine has caused some LGBTQ+ voters to question his commitment to defending every Detroiter, especially queer people.
The Rev. Solomon Kinloch has led Triumph Church since 1998. The massive, 40,000-member congregation spans several campuses in Detroit and across the region. Triumph’s website outlines the institution’s beliefs on marriage and gender — beliefs that have raised concerns among queer voters.
“We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female and that those two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God,” the website states under the “Our Beliefs” section. “We believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union.”
These values are not consistent with the vibrant history of resistance and queer liberation in Detroit. The church’s doctrine and Detroit’s LGBTQ+ community are at odds — not only because of Kinloch’s potential City Hall tenure, but also amid growing persecution of queer people across the country.
“There is a lot of fear,” said Rachel Crandall-Crocker, executive director and co-founder of Transgender Michigan, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of transgender individuals across the state. “I answer a helpline for our [trans] community, and there's an awful lot of fear. [Trans] people are even afraid that we're going to be rounded up.”
That fear, Crandall-Crocker said, reflects an increasingly violent climate for queer people. Between May 1 of last year and this year, GLAAD tracked 932 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents across the country — and those are only the ones that were reported. More than half of those incidents involved a trans or gender-nonconforming victim.
In Michigan, the Equality Michigan Action Network is tracking 21 anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the state. Advocates say queer people have never been more vulnerable to violence than they are now.
Given that political climate, Kinloch’s role as a religious leader worries some LGBTQ+ voters in Detroit.
“I feel really strongly from a business and from a queer advocate’s perspective about how dangerous this man is,” said Bethany Shorb, founder of Well Done Goods, an LGBTQ-owned and -operated store in Detroit’s Eastern Market. “If being a mayor and having to be inclusive goes against what he's preaching, then that creates a problem at his job. So he’s then not being truthful to his congregants. And I just see multiple untruths.”
Shorb’s fears about Kinloch’s integrity — both to voters and his congregation — are shared by organizers and political advocates closely following the election.
“There is a bit of a concern. Those of us who lead in LGBTQ+ community spaces would like to find a partner in whoever fills the role of mayor,” said Jerron Totten, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party’s LGBT and Allies Caucus. The caucus previously endorsed candidate Saunteel Jenkins, who did not advance from the primaries. Neither Sheffield nor Kinloch completed the caucus’ endorsement process, according to Totten.
Totten’s description of a mayor who defends LGBTQ+ Detroiters is one Kinloch has said he fits: “[Leading] for queer Detroiters with substance, not just symbolic action. Detroit needs a champion at the state level for continued policy protections for our LGBTQ+ community."
In a statement shared with Pride Source, Kinloch said, “We need a fighter against federal actions that threaten the queer community. I will partner with the organizations on the ground doing the work. We need a liaison for LGBTQ+ affairs in the mayor’s office, and across city government, we need to implement systematic training and accountability measures to ensure civil rights are being protected for our LGBTQ+ community at every level.”
Kinloch has said he will maintain his duties at Triumph Church if he wins the election. If he does come out on top next month, LGBTQ+ voters have communicated powerful expectations for their next mayor.
“We've had such a problem with young people leaving. They get educated here, then they go to greener pastures because it's perceived as being better. We are finally having some more reasons for people to stay, to be educated here and to stay here,” Shorb said. “As a business owner, I need those people as customers. I want people who have disposable income to come and shop at my store and buy cute things… If everybody leaves town again, I'm screwed.”
For the second year in a row, Detroit has seen growth in its population. The city has also recorded a 57-year low in violent crime. LGBTQ+ voters and advocates expressed both hope for the city’s continued prosperity and fear for an uncertain future.
“Whoever becomes mayor once Mike Duggan leaves office — either a Black woman or a Black man assumes the office of mayor — Detroit now becomes a target to the Trump regime,” Totten said. “What we are looking for is someone who will stand up to Donald Trump's policies, particularly how he is weaponizing the military in Black cities because we are primarily a predominantly Black city.”
Cities with Black mayors and sizable LGBTQ+ populations have been frequent targets of President Donald Trump’s attacks. The president has disparaged and even deployed federal officers in cities like Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles. The White House has made it clear that mayors — particularly those who are vocal defenders of civil rights — may be targeted by political pressure and executive force.
In a quote sent to Pride Source, Kinloch said his potential mayoralty would defend those rights.
“Detroit’s strength has always come from its diversity — from people who may not look the same, pray the same or love the same, but who share the same hope for a better future. As mayor, I will make sure that our laws, our policies and our practices reflect that truth,” Kinloch said.
Kinloch came in second out of the primary, collecting 17% of the vote compared to Sheffeild’s 50% share. While neither candidate completed the LGBT and Allies Caucus’ endorsement process, the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce has recently endorsed Sheffield. As the Kinloch campaign aims to swing voters to his side ahead of election day, queer Detroiters will be tasked with considering whether his church’s anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs are a dealbreaker.
As Detroiters prepare to cast their ballots Nov. 4 for either Kinloch or Sheffield, queer organizers are urging voters to recognize the gravity of the moment — and the power of civic participation as a mechanism for dissent.
“We have a right to worry," said Crandall-Crocker. "However, there is something we can do about it. We are not powerless. And that thing is vote. We can do something. We are not helpless."
Early voting begins Oct. 25 in Michigan. Check your sample ballot at vote411.org.
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