Chicago, IL -
Despite vocal concerns from gay rights advocates, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley appears close to appointing the first openly homophobic alderman to Chicago's City Council.
The Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus, a man who has said he opposes abortion and homosexuality, is the choice of outgoing Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th) to be his replacement on the City Council. According to a report in today's Chicago Tribune, Daley has traditionally deferred to outgoing aldermen.
The 44 year-old De Jesus is the powerful evangelical pastor of the 4,000 member New Life Covenant Ministries on the city's West Side.
New Life is an Assembly of God church and a spiritual study guide on the church's Web site refers to homosexuality as the "work of the devil."
In October 2008, De Jesus told Christianity Today that "opposing abortion and homosexuality have been the paramount moral issues for him."
Proponents of Chicago's Pride Campus have accused De Jesus of being the driving force behind efforts to stop the proposal.
In opposition to the Pride Campus, De Jesus told a community newspaper, "What about that girl who is a virgin, who is being harassed by lesbians and guys to have sex, and yet you're going to build a gay school?" he said. "It's not fair."
Local gay-rights activists have called De Jesus homophobic and continue to urge Daley not to appoint him to the 26th Ward seat which serves Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.
De Jesus tells the Tribune that he is not homophobic and that his opposition to homosexuality is rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible.
"We don't see how someone who has such a strong foundation with his church can separate his belief system [from] his public role, even though he thinks he can," Julio Rodriguez, president of the Association of Latino Men for Action, told the Tribune.
The mayor has until Aug. 1 to fill the council seat.
The Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus, a man who has said he opposes abortion and homosexuality, is the choice of outgoing Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th) to be his replacement on the City Council. According to a report in today's Chicago Tribune, Daley has traditionally deferred to outgoing aldermen.
The 44 year-old De Jesus is the powerful evangelical pastor of the 4,000 member New Life Covenant Ministries on the city's West Side.
New Life is an Assembly of God church and a spiritual study guide on the church's Web site refers to homosexuality as the "work of the devil."
In October 2008, De Jesus told Christianity Today that "opposing abortion and homosexuality have been the paramount moral issues for him."
Proponents of Chicago's Pride Campus have accused De Jesus of being the driving force behind efforts to stop the proposal.
In opposition to the Pride Campus, De Jesus told a community newspaper, "What about that girl who is a virgin, who is being harassed by lesbians and guys to have sex, and yet you're going to build a gay school?" he said. "It's not fair."
Local gay-rights activists have called De Jesus homophobic and continue to urge Daley not to appoint him to the 26th Ward seat which serves Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.
De Jesus tells the Tribune that he is not homophobic and that his opposition to homosexuality is rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible.
"We don't see how someone who has such a strong foundation with his church can separate his belief system [from] his public role, even though he thinks he can," Julio Rodriguez, president of the Association of Latino Men for Action, told the Tribune.
The mayor has until Aug. 1 to fill the council seat.
