Exodus: Live Out Loud

Mandisa Shares Truth with Grace

American Idol contestant Mandisa--who was voted off the show last week--was interviewed by a gay news magazine about allegations that she was 'anti-gay.' The allegations came after, on the American Idol website, Mandisa expressed admiration  for Beth Moore, a Christian writer and lecturer who believes in freedom from homosexuality and has links to Exodus and Exodus Youth on her website. Mandisa also made a comment during one of her performances that God is bigger than "your lifestyle," which some took as a reference to homosexuality.

When asked how she felt about the accusations, Mandisa responded, "I just heard about that a couple of days ago. It broke my heart. I live my life by the value syste that you treat others the way you want to be treated. . . I absolutely hate no one."

When asked if she believed homosexuality was a sin, and whether she would sing at a gay event, Mandisa held her ground with utmost grace: "I know my value system. . . that on the word [of the Bible], that it does speak of that. I do know I have no place to judge anybody. . . Based on what I believe, I'm not an advocate for [being gay], so it's nothing I would take part in."

Mandisa's response is a wonderful example of how we can defend the truth about homosexuality without attacking those who disagree. She didn't let her convictions cave in, and she displayed that she is unmistakably not hateful.

Anti-Gay Lyrics in Reggae Controversial

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040828/ap_en_mu/jamaica_reggae_rift_1

Sat Aug 28, 2:40 PM ET

By STEVENSON JACOBS, Associated Press Writer

KINGSTON, Jamaica - A generation ago, reggae anthems by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh preached concepts of "one love," legal marijuana and social justice.

But today's version of Jamaica's native music is more likely to advocate casual sex, opulent dress and sometimes, critics say, violence against gays.

The issue of homophobia in dancehall reggae took center stage this past week after Grammy-winning artist Beenie Man was booted from a concert associated with Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards in Miami.

MTV pulled the Jamaican from the roster after Florida gay rights groups threatened to protest because of past Beenie Man lyrics like "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays" and "Queers must be killed."

"These lyrics only incite hatred and violence toward gays and lesbians," said Brett Lock of Outrage!, a London-based gay rights group leading boycotts of Beenie Man and several other artists.

The episode has drawn mixed reaction in reggae's birthplace, where homophobia frequently surfaces and issues of sexuality are rarely discussed publicly.

Madonna's 'electrocuting' wild lesbian orgy on stage!

www.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=38553&cat=Entertainment

"The Wicked are like the troublesome sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt." Isaiah 57:20" -nb

London | May 20, 2004 2:45:44 PM IST

Pop queen Madonna plans to astound her fans during her Re-Invention Tour, which is slated to begin in the UK this summer.

The pop diva is reportedly planning an outrageous combo act of gory images of people slaughtered in Iraq along with a wild lesbian orgy.

To top it all, The 'Frozen' star will be seen "frazzled" in an electric chair. The singer is trying to make an anti-war statement through her surreal images

VH1 Outing 'Gaydar' Pilot

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040402/tv_nm/television_gaydar_dc_1
Fri Apr 2, 1:14 AM ET

By Andrew Wallenstein

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - VH1 has ordered a pilot for "Gaydar," a reality project in which celebrity guests try and guess whether contestants are homosexual.

Filming on the half-hour pilot is under way in Los Angeles, with Brian Dunkleman ("American Idol") serving as host.

The pilot features a three-person panel comprising celebrity guests and a permanent cast member encountering three contestants who keep their sexual orientation a secret. The panelists try to determine whether contestants are straight by playing a series of games with them intended to yield clues. The prize for each correct guess is a donation to a selected charity.

Straight talk from Allen on 'Queer Eye' CD

Chicago Sun-Times, February 10, 2004
http://www.suntimes.com/output/derogatis/cst-ftr-queer10.html
Straight talk from Allen on 'Queer Eye' CD
By Jim Derogatis, Pop Music Critic
Though "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Soundtrack: What's That Sound" features two (unremarkable) contributions from Chicago artists signed to Capitol Records - Liz Phair and OK-Go - the cast's hometown hero, Ted Allen, admits that he had little to do with the disc.

Hip-hop poster girl

The Age, 9th February, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/07/1075854117689.html
Hip-hop poster girl
A musical, Chinese-Jamaican, lesbian poet from New York is making an intimate return to Australia, writes Phillip McCarthy.
When Staceyann Chin was setting herself up in New York six years ago, she wanted to live near her "people" - in one of the neighbourhoods that a former black mayor once described as this city's "gorgeous mosaic".
The problem was, which people? The Chinese? Her father migrated from China to Jamaica. The Jamaicans? Her mother is Jamaican and that's where she was born.
Or among lesbians, which was even more problematic since, as we know from the old gay-lib chant, lesbians are everywhere....

Sandy Rapp Still Strumming For The Cause

East Hampton Independent, February 5, 2004
http://www.indyeastend.com/detail.asp?cat=news&article=1840
Sandy Rapp Still Strumming For The Cause
By Debbie Tuma
Sandy Rapp, who has performed around the country for a variety of
causes, is back home in East Hampton, promoting her second CD Flag & The
Rainbow, which is also the title song. It is Rapp's second CD, following We
the People, her acclaimed debut album from 1995.

Pride Chorus arranges its finale

Juneau Empire, February 5, 2004
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020504/thi_pride.shtml
Pride Chorus arranges its finale
'Crack in the Wall' will cap group's Feb. 7 performance
By Korry Keeker, Juneau Empire
As a music student at Michigan State University, Juneau Pride Chorus co-manager Marsha Buck struck up a friendship with a pianist named Ken Medema. He was a gifted composer, and when he played he could flow seamlessly from one musical style to another, all the while with a sense of humor. He also was blind since birth.