Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin was "uninvited" from a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial concert on Saturday celebrating the 50th anniversary of the March in Washington D.C. after his remarks on homosexuality where he said God delivered him from "the sin of homosexuality."
McClurkin's stance on homosexuality had angered gay rights activists and D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray seemingly yielded to their demands that McClurkin be dropped at the event.
Gray's spokeswoman Doxie McCoy released a statement saying, "The Arts and Humanities Commission and Donnie McClurkin's management decided that it would be best for him to withdraw because the purpose of the event is to bring people together. Mayor Gray said the purpose of the event is to promote peace and harmony. That is what King was all about."
However, McClurkin, who also pastors a church in New Jersey, said in a video that he was asked "not to attend" the concert by the mayor.
"The mayor of D.C. uninvited me from a concert that I was supposed to headline today in the Washington (National) Mall commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement," he said in the video. He continued, "There should be freedom of speech as long as it's done in love."
McClurkin previously wrote about issues surrounding homosexuality on a Christian website back in 2002. He shared his life story on how he was molested by his male relatives between the ages of 8 and 13. "I've been through this and have experienced God's power to change my lifestyle," he wrote. "I am delivered and I know God can deliver others, too."
