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Openly Gay Pugh Appeals to Wide Swath of Voters

David Josar / The Detroit News
Thursday, August 6, 2009


Detroit --When Charles Pugh tried to pump $20 of gas Wednesday morning he was interrupted every two minutes by another well-wisher congratulating him for his top showing in the City Council primary.

"I was truly humbled," said Pugh, 38, a former broadcaster and the first openly gay candidate to win a major election in Detroit.

"I know there were people who didn't vote for me because I was gay ... but I think people looked at me to see who I was as a complete person and where I was on the issues and that's what made the difference."

Pugh was one of 18 candidates to advance to the Nov. 3 primary for the nine-member council. His early success, some say, could thrust the city into the national spotlight in a very different way than a parade of scandals had over the last four years.

"This city has had the worst PR of any city in the world and now this will be very good news," said Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey, who is also gay. "Detroit is going to be seen as a place that can be tolerant and progressive."

In his campaign literature, during candidate rallies and in debates, there was no reference to Pugh's sexual orientation.

Yet on radio shows or television segments, he has talked candidly about his romantic relationships. "I am absolutely gay and been open about it," he said. "But that's not what I'm running on."

Members of the gay community Wednesday used words like "thrilling," "exciting" and "amazing" to describe Pugh's victory, where he won with 59,560 votes and 8.9 percent of the vote. Coming in second was City Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. with 49,657.

National reporters have been calling leading gay-rights organizations in the region for weeks to find out what the city's embrace of Pugh means.

Some Detroit churches have historically sermonized that homosexuality was a sin, but Pugh got the backing of both the AME Ministerial Alliance and the Council of Baptist Pastors.

"We've been getting calls from the New York Times and others from across the country for months," said Alicia Skillman, executive director of the Triangle Foundation, a statewide civil rights, advocacy and anti-violence organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. "We're very happy for Charles. I think this is showing that the region is not so afraid anymore. They are saying he's a gay man and he's my friend and that's OK."

Dale Morgan, 53, a longtime Palmer Park resident and business owner, said he did not campaign or provide financial support to Pugh, but soon will.

"Maybe there really is an enlightenment going on in this city," said Morgan, who recalls trying to buy a house 20 years ago with a partner, but being turned down by the bank because they were a same-sex couple. "We are surprised he did so well, and so happy."

Backing Pugh was a simple choice for the Council of Baptist Ministers, said the Rev. Lonnie Peek, a spokesman.

"He was young and energetic, and he had good ideas," said Peek, adding that sexual orientation "never came up."

"He's just the right person to bring about change. He did great."

Historically, black communities discourage the expression of gay identity and will stigmatize or harass gay people in the community, said Kevin Mumford, a University of Iowa professor whose book "Interzones" examines race and sexuality in 20th century America.

But, he suggests, black communities, like Detroit, may be more willing to embrace a gay candidate because they are keenly aware of discrimination.

"On the level of civil rights and fairness, it may be that black politicians and the black electorate are more aware of the injustices of bias than the general population," he said.

For the most part, Pugh said his sexual identity was not an issue during the campaign -- except for one council candidate he refused to identify.

That woman, who did not get enough votes to advance to the general election, told people, including Pugh's barber, she had first-hand knowledge that police had been called to investigate allegations involving Pugh's conduct with young men, a charge Pugh said has no validity.

"I confronted her and told her if this were true, why she didn't go to the police," he said. "I am still considering a lawsuit against her."

Still, Pugh said, there is a fear by gay people that they will be ostracized based on their sexuality.

"These things still happen. There are people who would much rather remain silent," he said.