Ricky Martin Blasted For Being Gay By Puerto Rican Clergy

RIcky Martin, who announced he was gay in March 2010, is being blasted for his sexuality in a series of homophobic slurs coming from clergy in his native Puerto Rico.

Martin, in the midst of his Music+Soul+Sex tour, was called out in separate interviews by two major Puerto Rican church figures, On Top Magazine reports. Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez of San Juan urged Martin in an interview with Primera Hora last week to stop promoting his homosexuality.

“Personally, I admire Ricky for the great artistic gifts the Lord has endowed him, but please, for the love of his children, for whom I imagine he wants the best, try to set an example to our youth of the great values we all share, besides sex,” the Cardinal said.

The Cardinal defended the Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality, saying that it “does not reject the homosexual [but] their immoral actions and behaviors, and trying to promote homosexuality or sexual promiscuity among our youth, indeed, is immoral regardless of where it comes from.”

This comes on the heels of an even harsher rant from Pastor Wanda Rolon, the head of a large northern Puerto Rican church.

"[Ricky Martin] wants to take people to hell!" she wrote on her Facebook page. "RM is its ambassador.”

Martin has been open about his sexuality since coming out, talking about how he's proud to have inspired and comforted people who may be struggling with their own.

"The other day, I was in a store and there was this 13-year-old child who he told me, 'Ricky, you and me, we are the same! You like boys. Well, you know what? Me too! And this is my mom and she's happy with me today,'" Martin recalled to Parade Magazine in February. "Are you kidding me? I had to give him a hug and I had to give his mother a hug because unfortunately -- because of society or faith -- parents struggle. It's all about love."

It's something that he's experienced a lot over the past year, he said.

"After I wrote the book and went on Oprah Winfrey, so many people have come to me, telling me, 'Ricky, thank you because I understand what acceptance is today,'" Martin remembered. The praise often continues, he said, with, "'Ricky, thank you. I feel better about myself because you have a very beautiful family and the words 'dysfunctional family' don't exist in your life.'"

The singer spoke about his coming out in his recent memoir, "Me," and said that homophobia is a world issue, not just one that Latin America has to deal with.

Martin recently received a GLAAD Award for his work promoting acceptance and understanding.

Comments

[ChaCubed]

12:06 PM on 04/25/2011

Never forget:
- the clergy used to beat children who were left-handed, because left-handedness was of Devil;
- the clergy mistrusted and condemned people with red-hair because it was a sign of Devil;
- the clergy convinced settlers to kill First Americans because they were Devils.
- the clergy killed women who were possesed by Devil.

This is only a partial list of the crazy ideas they used to hurt and kill people. They have a 1,500 year history of being unbelievably, amazingly, mind-boggling wrong about right and wrong.

[surreydown]

07:04 PM on 04/19/2011

I posted comments here from another account and so many of them got deleted by the moderators. I'm very glad that the newpaper in the area I live in-- Long Beach, CA which has a large gay community, has the guts to print letters to the editor from citizens who do not agree with everyhting gays say about themselbves, or how the became gay etc. They are willing to let all voices be heard (they also print letters from the opposing viewpoint) and do not play PC nonsense, because they are just allowing all voices to be heard which is the democratic thing to do. They don't censor dissent. Something could be learned here from that

[ChaCubed]

12:19 PM on 04/25/2011

My local newspaper sounds like yours: it chooses the most idiotic, inflammatory letters it receives. The more misinformation, the more likely they were to print it.

After years of complaining, and begging them to use the space for intelligent discourse, I finally gave up and stopped buying it.

[Electriq]

02:07 AM on 04/18/2011

Ugh! They are totally missing the BIG GAY PICTURE here. According to a report by the far, far, far, oh-my-god-they-couldn't-get-any-farther-right wing WorldNetDaily, it's soybean farmers who are making people gay.

MAYBE BY THE GAZILLIONS!

These uniformed representatives of the church need to prioritize and stop going after small fry like Mr Martin and start focusing on the the evils of soybean consumption. Otherwise, it won't be long before we're ALL absolutely fabulous.

[cliffhammond]

02:17 AM on 04/18/2011

I know that every time I have tofu with my miso soup and sprouts I get a woody for the minister who works part-time in Whole Foods.

[ChaCubed]

12:08 PM on 04/25/2011

ROFL Cliff

F&F

Makes you hot for a MINISTER??? Boy, that's some soy! :)

[chaapai]

01:59 AM on 04/18/2011

When any clergy, or any faith step out into this realm, and away from the pulpit; in my opinion its quite clear that they are no longer religious organizations but instead they have become political action committees.

In doing so, I personally believe that they no longer deserve the tax exempt status they have been given.

It's time that Churches here in America are finally taxed. No more free ride for churches. We can take the income and finance medicaid and medicare for generations to come.

This isn't a natural progression. This isn't the work of Gawd. It simply a method to impose their terrible will on the populace. It's time they pay their fair share.

[cliffhammond]

02:08 AM on 04/18/2011

You think the Supremes would view them as "individual citizens" too?

[inARCTICulate]

11:57 PM on 04/17/2011

I'm a bible thumper.
When I throw one out the window it goes thump.

[cliffhammond]

02:09 AM on 04/18/2011

I'm all for tearing the OTs out and sending them back where they came from -- Poland, Germany, Russia, the United States.....

[Ricardo Valentin]

08:19 PM on 04/17/2011

The people that denouced Ricky Martin did so while clad in designer clothing and expensive jewelry. The female minister that was the loudest voice in this controversy was allowed to use a room of the nation's Capitol building to defend herself. The minister that denounced RIcky became famous when she told the nation thought a tv commercial that God had told her who was going to be elected in a contested election. That candidate lost. Obviously whoever was talking to her it was not God. Her happily tithing followers have not been able to grasp the fact that their guide perhaps was either delusional or had sold her integrity for political or monetary gain.

[morgansher]

07:58 PM on 04/17/2011

These old men are so horribly pathetic. They need to stop worrying about other people's sexual identities and pay attention the damage their pedophile priests are doing to kids.

[inARCTICulate]

11:55 PM on 04/17/2011

They are afraid of anyone infringing on their turf.

[T Tauri]

07:54 PM on 04/17/2011

Whom does 'hell's ambassador' represents here on Earth? 'Hell's angels'.

[deweydecimal]

05:40 PM on 04/17/2011

An organization that shelters pedophiles, allows the AIDS epidemic to ravage entire continents and who has such a bloody history should not be preaching morality to others.

[ChaCubed]

08:45 PM on 04/25/2011

They SHOULD be teaching and following what their stories say their Jesus taught.

Except for that "The only way to the Father is thru me" statement, and he could have been delerious when he said it, or had too much wine, or something, their Jesus taught peace, love, and understanding. I swear, if Christians who are hateful and judgmental didn't think they needed to believe in J.C. to get to heaven, they'd kick him to the curb: they already kick sand in his face everytime they dishonor him.

[Ordinary Citizen]

05:12 PM on 04/17/2011

And another blast by the catholic church ....in the news .....again. Like they have the room in their house to call anyone out for anything, Please spare us the Catholics views on anything or anyone. They should clean their house before complaining about another.

[ChaCubed]

08:48 PM on 04/25/2011

What about love? Didn't their Jesus teach them to love everyone?

You used to be able to ask them, what about Jesus saying, "Judge not least you be judged", and it would give them pause. Then some word-twister came up with the idea that it only refers to people who fear being judged - those who think they're perfect can judge all they want.

[darter22]

04:42 PM on 04/17/2011

It is much safer to let your kid go to a Ricky Martin concert that it is to let them be an altar boy.

[ChaCubed]

12:10 PM on 04/25/2011

F&F Darter

And WAY more fun.

[GayGrandpa]

03:45 PM on 04/17/2011

Homophobia is so gay.

[TenorArchitect]

08:36 PM on 04/17/2011

And so ten minutes ago....

[SteveDenver]

02:02 PM on 04/17/2011

The cardinal and pastor sound even more obsessed with Ricky Martin's sex life than us avid gay fans who wish Ricky and his family happiness and joy.

By the way Wanda, that little book you rely on says women should be subservient, silent and cover their heads.

[inARCTICulate]

11:56 PM on 04/17/2011

SOme need to cover their faces too

[MorpheusXNYC]

01:51 PM on 04/17/2011

Religions take on gays: we don't have a problem with fish. It's just all that swimming around underwater that's the problem...

[SteveDenver]

02:02 PM on 04/17/2011

Splendid: Fan & Fave

[TenorArchitect]

08:36 PM on 04/17/2011

Perfect. I will use that one...

[ihsxps]

01:00 PM on 04/17/2011

Anyone who teaches that celibacy is a pathway to spiritual enlightenment, and who has chosen to follow that dark and twisted path to physical, spiritual and emotional alienation from the rest of mankind, has NOTHING to say to those who have chosen to embrace life and love and family. If they have have taken a vow never to have a child, fine. But they could at least quit presuming to tell the rest of us how to raise ours. I swear they're worse than Bill Maher!

[SteveDenver]

02:06 PM on 04/17/2011

But Matthew taught that people should be "eunuchs for heaven" and Jesus taught that marriage draws attention away from full concentration on and service for god. What is it for christians who embrace the wholly babble: polygamy (with slaves and concubines) or nonmarriage?

[morgansher]

08:10 PM on 04/17/2011

There is another take on the eunuch I recently came across via The Bed Keeper ... http://eunuchs-messengersoftheking.blogspot.com/ where the gentleman is making the case for gay marriage and that it is biblical as well.