FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2014

CONTACT: Jennifer Louise Lopez; Terry Roethlein

EMAIL: jenn@nycjenn.com , tkr2001@columbia.edu
SITE: https://www.facebook.com/events/269977856495820/ (VIDEOS)
PHONE: 646-504-7767; 347-449-2881

LGBT Activists Demand Stoning at Homophobic Harlem Church
Over fifty LGBT activists protested for over an hour in the rain yesterday outside ATLAH World
Missionary Church in Harlem, demanding that the churchs controversial pastor, James David
Manning, emerge and administer the stonings that his public sign recently called for. Until it was
vandalized last week, the churchs marquee read, Jesus would stone homos. Harlem is a homo
free zone.
Holding a forty-foot rainbow banner and shouting chants like Harlem queers under attack! What
do we do? ACT UP! Fight back! and Hey hey! Ho ho! David Manning has got to go! the
multiracial crowd also brandished signs that read, God is love and Let he without sin cast the
first stone.
At one point the rowdy group moved to the side entrance of the church, repeatedly ringing the
buildings buzzer and raising their fists while they shouted, Were here for out stoning! Were
here for our stoning! Several church members watched from inside through a glass door, smiling
and chatting.
Harlem resident and transgender activist Jennifer Louise Lopez called for the protest after the
recent video of her interaction with a befuddled ATLAH staffer went viral and drew strong
support: http://bit.ly/1lk8zSV.
Lopez told the crowd that Manning had served time in prison for larceny, burglary, and criminal
possession of a weapon, and said, He is a very hateful and dangerous man. She spoke out
against using scripture to brainwash congregations by delivering hateful messages. We will no
longer stand by while Evangelical Christian churches misrepresent us, she said. Lopez, a United
Methodist Christian, called for an Easter day global demonstration of solidarity against churches
that preach hate. She led the crowd in demanding, Not one more day! of misrepresentation.
Jim Eigo, a veteran ACT UP member who works with the AIDS Prevention Task Force at
Harlem United, said AIDS is still killing so many in this neighborhood. We know that words of
hate and retribution like Pastor Mannings words just aid and abet this disease. Eigo said that
Mannings bigoted message keeps people in the closet about their sex lives and keeps people
from getting tested for HIV and from seeking out effective treatment until they are already sick
and the virus has done great and irreparable damage to their bodies.
Activist Lovari read a passage from the Book of Matthew 19:12 that he said showed support for
androgynous and LGBT individuals, For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their
mother's womb: and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men: and there are also
eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to
accept this, let him accept it, he read.