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Back in 2007, the late Bishop Eddie Long garnered significant attention from the Southern Poverty Law Center for his staunch anti-LGBT rhetoric. Long was recognized as one of the most virulently homophobic African-American religious leaders, joining other prominent clerics in opposing LGBT rights. In one of his videotaped sermons, once available in his church’s bookstore, Long attributed societal issues to what he perceived as the blurring of gender roles. “The problem today, and the reason society is like it is, is because men are being feminized and women are being masculine! You cannot say, ‘I was born this way.’ … I don’t care what scientists say!” he declared, signaling his rejection of modern understandings of gender and sexuality.
However, Long’s public stance was later overshadowed by personal scandal. In 2011, he reached an undisclosed settlement with four young men who accused him of using his pastoral position to coerce them into sexual relationships during their teenage years. While the details of the settlement were never disclosed, Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church issued a statement asserting that the decision was made to bring closure to the matter and allow the church to move forward.