Nation's only black gay pride march held in Atlanta

ATLANTA - Shouting ``We&#39;re black, we&#39;re out and we&#39;re proud,&#39;&#39; about 500 people walked the streets of Atlanta on Monday in what was called the only black gay pride march in the country. <br> <br> The march was sponsored by gay rights advocates from around the state. It came at the conclusion of the city&#39;s Labor Day Black Gay Pride Celebration, which drew about 15,000 people and was coordinated by In The Life Atlanta, a support group for gay blacks in metro Atlanta. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re trying to send a clear and concise message to mainstream black America that we are not invisible, and from this point forward we are always going to be in your face,&#39;&#39; said chief organizer Jimmie Scott. ``We need to stop homophobia.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> That&#39;s particularly true among black clergy, he said. <br> <br> ``The sad thing is so many of our black preachers stand up in their pulpits on Sunday morning and preach that homophobic hate rhetoric,&#39;&#39; Scott said. ``This is a direct result of that. We&#39;re not going to take it anymore, and we&#39;re going to stand up and represent.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Rev. Antonio Jones has seen that firsthand. A preacher for 17 years who is black and gay, Jones constantly faces persecution for his beliefs and his lifestyle. <br> <br> ``I&#39;m the anti-Christ,&#39;&#39; Jones joked. <br> <br> Organizers have likened their search for acceptance to what blacks faced in the 1960s, and they invited noted civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., to lead the march. He donned a ``Stand Up & Represent&#39;&#39; T-shirt like most in the group and walked at the front of the line. <br> <br> ``I&#39;ve fought too long and too hard against discrimination based on race, on color and religion, not to stand up and fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation,&#39;&#39; he said. ``People have a right to live and be left alone, and that&#39;s why I&#39;m here.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The group walked about a mile through west Atlanta with a police escort, accepting waves of support from homeowners and motorists. The only protest came from Bill Adams, who heads Revival USA, an Atlanta-based ministry. <br> <br> He stood on the sidewalk and held a sign that read, ``Jesus Is Lord.&#39;&#39; He quoted scripture as the marchers passed and traded barbs with some of them. <br> <br> ``Jesus loves us the way we are,&#39;&#39; someone from the group shouted. <br> <br> ``No he doesn&#39;t, that&#39;s a lie,&#39;&#39; Adams yelled back. ``You&#39;re a liar.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Adams said he was there simply to spread his message and denied he was targeting the group. But he clearly wasn&#39;t supporting it. <br> <br> ``These people say God made them the way they are,&#39;&#39; Adams said. ``Let&#39;s assume for a minute that it&#39;s true. That still doesn&#39;t make it right.&#39;&#39;

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