Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Opposition to De Jesús grows
by Jessica Pupovac
2009-07-08

This article shared 4144 times since Wed Jul 8, 2009
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


The clock is ticking on Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's decision regarding who should fill the vacancy left by former Ald. Billy Ocasio, who left City Council last month to work as a senior adviser to Gov. Pat Quinn.

Before he left his 26th Ward office, Ocasio made known his wishes that his pastor, Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús, be his heir—but the decision ultimately falls to Daley.

The possibility of having De Jesús in City Council is raising eyebrows in the ward and beyond, due in no small part to his stance on homosexuality. De Jesús' New Life Covenant Ministries church is part of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal fellowship that considers homosexuality a sin. In Chicago, many LGBT activists know him as the pastor who put the brakes last year on a planned Pride Campus, a school that designers hoped would act as a model school, providing a safe and affirming environment for LGBT and questioning youth and their allies.

Although De Jesús says that his opposition to the school stems from his belief that it would segregate LGBT youth, one former congregant, Esmeralda Román, said she left his church because of a sermon that he gave about the school that she said felt more "like an anti-gay rally."

Román, a lesbian, had asked De Jesús just weeks prior if she and her partner and their three children were welcome to worship at New Life Covenant. De Jesús said they were.

"We didn't go back because we didn't feel safe there," said Román. "I have sat in churches and seen people being hypocrites, people lying, people stealing—but I never felt hate like that at church. That's exactly what I felt."

De Jesús' office did not respond to calls requesting comment for this story.

The office of 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney, whose district encompasses Boystown, confirmed that it has received many calls and letters from their constituents and the LGBT community about the potential new alderman, and have relayed those concerns to the mayor.

Although De Jesús' church is in the 1st Ward and he lives in the 31st, New Life Ministries is active in the 26th, the ward De Jesús would represent. The church organizes works to feed homeless people; advocate for affordable housing; and minister to prostitutes and people struggling with drug addictions. It's one of the reasons that groups like the Puerto Rican Cultural Center ( PRCC ) —which, among other things, advocates for LGBT rights and offers many services to the local LGBT community—is supporting his candidacy.

"Right now he's been named by Alderman Ocasio, and we support Alderman Ocasio's prerogative to make that recommendation," said Raul Echevarria, deputy director of the PRCC. "I think a lot has been made about some of the drawbacks, but I think he brings a lot to the table that would be beneficial to the community as a whole."

"That doesn't mean that we won't engage him in some of these other issues that are important in the community, including his stance on LGBT issues. Engagement whenever possible, I think, is the best way to work some of these things out," he said.

Some LGBT advocates say they have reached out to De Jesús, but that those conversations have only bolstered their reservations.

On June 3, a network of about 30 LGBT activists and community leaders met with De Jesús at La Bruqueúa restaurant, 2726 W. Division.

"People asked him very pointed questions about his Web site, which has a page about homosexuality and how it's sinful and wrong. They asked him if he would change that, and he said absolutely not," said Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois, who attended the meeting.

"Somebody asked, 'What if your daughter told you she was a lesbian?'. And I looked at this guy's reaction and it was sad. He looked like somebody threw cold water on him. He said something to the effect of, 'That's not how my wife and I raised our family.' Then she pushed him and he said 'Well, I would want to know who did that to her.'"

"I have to say that I don't think he swayed anyone in that room in his favor," said Garcia.

"Many of us at the meeting were not confident that Rev. De Jesús would be able to separate his religious views from his role as an alderman," said Lourdes Torres, president of Amigas Latinas, an organization that advocates for lesbian, bisexual and questioning Latinas, and their families.

Torres said her concerns go beyond his stance on sexuality and include his position on other hot-button issues, including a woman's right to choose.

Torres said she is disappointed to see other longtime LGBT advocates discount his social conservatism. Torres said she originally signed onto a letter endorsing his candidacy, at the urging of several members of the local Puerto Rican community, but that after learning more about him she asked that her name be removed.

"I think gay issues should be put at the same level as all of the other issues that they see as important—gentrification, immigration, workers rights. It's unfortunate that it's not considered significant enough," she said.

But concern over De Jesús' possible appointment isn't limited to the LGBT community.

"He's done a lot of good work as far as his church goes. But the 26th Ward is a very diverse ward and I don't think his views are very diverse. They come straight from his interpretation of the Bible—period—and he's admitted that," said Felipe Ortiz, who has lived in the 26th Ward since 1958.

"I know he's a great pastor in the new life church, but the only thing we're thinking is how is he going to run the church and take care of the community?," said Nancy Garcia, co-owner of Papas Cache, a popular restaurant in Paseo Boricua, a street section in the West Side of Chicago. "I know there's other people, candidates, and more people qualified, too. I don't know why Billy Ocasio only recommended specifically him."

Some people expressed hope that the amount of time the mayor is taking to make the decision could mean that he is looking at some of those other candidates.

"Knowing the mayor's level of support for gay and lesbian people and our families, I'm sure they mayor is looking at this issue," said Garcia, who added that no matter whether De Jesús is selected to be alderman or not, he already wields, and will continue to wield, a significant amount of clout in Chicago politics.

"But whether he's appointed or not, he's going to have political influence," he said.

Both Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús' and Mayor Daley's offices did not return calls for this story. In addition, a number of people that De Jesús has publicly claimed support him did not respond, either.


This article shared 4144 times since Wed Jul 8, 2009
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course 2024-03-18
- Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools 2024-03-15
- In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit 2024-03-11
- On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Precious Brady-Davis says climate change is top issue as she runs to finish appointed MWRD term 2024-03-08
- Precious Brady-Davis, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Brady-Davis was appointed to the role last summer ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 MWRD's Marcelino Garcia discusses flooding, land use and LGBTQ+ inclusion 2024-03-08
- Marcelina Garcia, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates in the running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Garcia, who chair's the MWRD's Finance ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle 2024-03-08
- Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


Gay News

LPAC celebrates historic wins for LGBTQ+ candidates in Super Tuesday primaries 2024-03-06
- From a press release: Washington, DC—Today, LPAC,the nation's leading organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, proudly announces the outstanding victories of 67% of endorsed candidates ...


Gay News

Illinois's first openly gay elected official voices support for Cunningham 2024-03-05
- Judge Thomas Chiola, who served in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County from 1994-2009, has officially endorsed Justice Joy Cunningham for reelection to the Illinois Supreme Court. Chiola is the first gay man to be ...


Gay News

Sinema retiring from the U.S. Senate 2024-03-05
- Kyrsten Sinema—the bisexual U.S. senator from Arizona who recently switched from being a Democrat to an independent—announced that she will not run for re-election this year, ...


Gay News

WORLD Canadian politics, Australian murders, Finnish study, 'Anatomy' 2024-03-01
- Canadian conservatives are divided over an anti-trans policy that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith handed down in her province, The Guardian reported. The policy includes a ban on hormonal treatment, puberty ...


Gay News

Ghana parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ+ bill 2024-02-29
- On Feb. 28, Ghana's parliament unanimously passed a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill that has been condemned globally. The so-called Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act, which was introduced in the parliament in 2021, not only criminalizes ...


Gay News

Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican McConnell to step down from leading U.S. Senate 2024-02-29
- U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) will step down from Senate leadership in November, having served in that capacity longer than any senator in history, The Advocate noted. McConnell has been a senator since 1985 and has ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS






Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.