By Cornelius A. Fortune
DETROIT – When Rev. Watkins felt the pull of the ministry and the pull of homosexuality, he thought it would all go away – that these feelings were little more than fleeting; that he would have a normal life. But it didn't work out that way.
Watkins later enlisted in the Naval Academy where he studied oceanography and math. Everything was going great until something unexpected happened.
"I was class president and I was dating a fellow shipmate that told the government that I was using my influence as a minister and a class president to make him gay," he said. "And so they began an investigation and questioned my classmates. They waited the day before graduation day and fired me from all my positions."
Watkins was forced to resign.
This unlikely turn of events led to the United States Naval Academy charging that Watkins owed them $67,000 for his tuition.
The government claimed that his enlistment was not in the best interest of the Navy, and his best option was to pay the money. "And that's what I contested in a lawsuit," he said.
After a three-year battle he won the case, and has since then preached on the disparities facing homosexuals, particularly black homosexuals, in and outside the church. In his opinion, the word "homosexual" doesn't reflect the reality of African-Americans and how they perceive themselves. He prefers the phrase "non-heterosexual."
"The reason I use the term is because a lot of people of color don't identity as gay," he said. "They think gay is white or something other than who they are. I think that's why the DL ["down low"] is so popular: it's an umbrella where a lot of men don't see themselves as gay."
Much of his reasoning comes from the opinion that black homosexuality has yet to be defined.
"To society homosexuality is 'Will & Grace,' 'Queer as Folk,' 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,'" he said. "We really don't see any minority homosexuals as role models in what we go through specifically, which is different because of race and racism – it's still pervasive and prevalent in gay culture."
He goes a step further in his argument. "When we think of homosexuality, we only think of sex, and if I'm a homosexual I'm having multiple partners, but heterosexuality is not vilified or castigated in our society. I think if we begin talking about all the other emotions, of being attracted to someone on a spiritual, emotional, and mental level then we can get to kind of where sex goes."
His own coming out experience was a little different than most – it had very little to do with a sexual experience. "A lot of people equate coming out with sex, but that wasn't the case with me," he said. "Coming out has been the most empowering thing that I've done because it made me vulnerable. When I am weak I am made strong. And before I came out I was in a glass closet anyway, because half the people knew, I just didn't think that they did."
As a result, he has traveled the country talking about race matters and the hypocrisy of the church.
"I thought God wouldn't bless me because I was gay, and I thought maybe the call is just my own imagination and the Holy Spirit would remove those evil feelings from me. The feelings still stayed," he said.
"People will have to do their own homework to find out what those scriptures really mean. God has not stopped speaking and Revelations can't be the end," he said. "The Holy Sprit is supposed to be speaking to us and living through all of our experiences so that we don't have to rely on 66 books of canonized scripture. I've talked to ministers who say they can't give out condoms if they're not in the Bible. To me that's just crazy, to think they had latex back then…I mean, come on people."
Watkins has written a book that chronicles his experience, "Living Out Loud," which was recently published by The Watkins Group. There's a clear message he's trying to send out.
"I hope that people will begin to tell their stories, that the black community will begin to talk about these issues of sexuality and spirituality, and begin to tell their stories and also to raise their level of self esteem," he said.
"It's hard to listen to a sermon where people tell you that you're going to die and go to hell every single Sunday," he said, "that gets in your subconscious."
For more information visit his website at http://www.twgllc.biz. Copies of Rev. Watkins' book, "Living Out Loud" will be available for purchase at Detroit events this week for $19.95. The book is also available for purchase online at http://www.twgllc.biz/livingoutloud.
Meet Rev. Watkins
The American Friends Service Committee's-Faith Action Network is bringing Rev. Tommie Lee Watkins to Southeast Michigan for a number of events March 3-6.
Friday March 3: Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint 6-9 p.m. 810-232-4023.
Saturday March 4: Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park 1:30-3 p.m. 313-867-6936.
Saturday March 4: Common Language Bookstore in Ann Arbor. WRAP Q&A/book signing. 4-6 p.m. 734-663-0036.
Sunday March 5: preaching at Full Truth Ministry in Detroit. Service at 11:30 a.m. 313-896-0233.
Sunday, March 5: 1515 Broadway, Detroit. Affirmations Q&A/book signing. 2-6 p.m. 313-965-1515.
Monday March 6: Triangle Foundation Book Signing at 8 a.m. and news conference at 10 a.m. 313-537-3323.
