Steve Harvey on the Red Carpet at the Mark Twain Prize
Comedian honors Ellen DeGeneres; says black churches may shut down without black gay participation
Comedian Steve Harvey was part of the celebration for Ellen DeGeneres at the 2012 Mark Twain Prize, on Monday, Oct. 22. Metro Weekly’s Randy Shulman spoke to him on the red carpet about Ellen, about his own views about gays and why the black community needs to embrace the LGBT black community.
With his wife Marjorie by his side, Harvey told Metro Weekly, “Whether you embrace [the black gay community] or not, it’s there. It’s in our churches. It’s in your homes. It’s in your family. You’re not going to turn your back on somebody because they made a statement that’s not the same as yours.” He added, “If you take gays out of the black community, you could pretty much shut churches down.” Harvey joked that he expected to get some flack for that comment, but insisted, “Choirs would not be the same without them, trust me. I’d quit going, know that.”
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