LGBTQ community criticizes Allegheny County DA candidate
An Allegheny County district attorney candidate’s views on homosexuality and affiliation with a Wilkinsburg church has prompted calls from members of the region’s LGBTQ community for him to drop out of the race
The outrage over alleged statements made by Democrat Turahn Jenkins — in which he called being homosexual or transgender a sin in a meeting with activists — culminated in a pointed statement by the LGBT-friendly Stonewall Steel City Democrats on Sunday night requesting his departure from the race.
“We are deeply disturbed by the beliefs of Turahn Jenkins, recently announced candidate for D.A., and equally so by his direct verbal confirmation of those beliefs to an assembled group of leaders from the LGBTQ+ community,” the statement said.
The statement comes a week
after Mr. Jenkins became the first declared candidate for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s seat, an entrance praised by progressives in the Pittsburgh area.
But that began to change after revelations that the church he is affiliated with, the Bible Chapel in Wilkinsburg, has featured homophobic rhetoric on its website — first revealed in social media postings by local LGBTQ activist Sue Kerr, founder of the Pgh Lesbian Correspondents blog.
On its website, the chapel has frequently referred to homosexuality as a sin and has said it’s “not God’s design.”
Although Mr. Jenkins responded to inquiries on Twitter soon after affirming his belief in “protecting the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination, abuse and unfair treatment by law enforcement or the justice system,” a meeting with activists Friday night fueled greater outrage. At the meeting, the candidate reportedly said being gay or transgender is a sin.
“When asked if he believed that being gay/ trans was a sin he said yes and compared it to adultery,” LGBT activist Maria Montano wrote in a statement on Twitter after participating in the meeting via conference call. “This is not ok and is unacceptable from anyone seeking my support and the support of the LGBTQIA community.”
Ms. Montano told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the meeting was requested by local leaders to talk to Mr. Jenkins “about our concerns and to get a deeper understanding on his involvement with the church.”
Mr. Jenkins did not immediately reply to requests for comment Monday.
In a lengthy Facebook post Sunday, Mr. Jenkins said his campaign is premised on “treating people like people” and said he rejects “any speech or rhetoric from any source, including my church, that seeks to teach hate or prejudice based on race, sex, color, age, orientation or any other classification.”
“I clearly hurt and offended members of the LGBTQIA+ community, which was never my intent,” Mr. Jenkins wrote. “I never want to be the source of someone’s pain or hurt, my aim in life is to be the exact opposite.”
Responding to the post, Ms. Montano called it a “half-hearted apology” and alleged that his campaign hadn’t reached out personally to apologize. She also called on him to end his campaign.
Mr. Jenkins lost the backing of two significant Pittsburgh-area progressive voices on Monday, as Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato — Democratic nominees for two local state House seats — wrote posts expressing their disappointment with the candidate’s views and withdrawing their official support.
“No one deserves to feel marginalized in our movement and fight for freedom,” Ms. Innamorato wrote. “Now, more than ever, we believe we have to embrace the humanity of us all, we have to stand firm for one another, lift each other up and protect each other from systems that seek to harm us all.”
Mr. Jenkins, 40, recently worked in the Allegheny County public defender’s office as chief deputy director of pretrial services before resigning to run for district attorney. Mr. Zappala, also a Democrat, is a five-term incumbent.