Tag: Davin Clemons

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Thaddeus Matthews Intensifies Attack on Candidate in Homophobic Tirade

CREDIT: Davin Clemons/Facebook

Davin Clemons/Facebook

Talk show host Thaddeus Matthews ratcheted up his attack of a Memphis City Council candidate in another homophobic scree on his podcast.

On his show Monday, Thaddeus Matthews targeted Davin Clemons, who is running for the council’s District 6 seat. If he wins, Clemons will be the council’s first openly gay member.

On his show Wednesday and Thursday, Matthews unleashed a hateful torrent against Clemons, the Memphis Police Department’s LGBTQ liaison.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, has been monitoring Matthews’ attacks on Clemons closely.

The group said that during the show Matthews repeatedly calls Clemons a “wife.”

“The man running for office is the wife, right?” Matthews asks someone off-screen.

Matthews’ language gets more explicit as his show wears on. In an exchange with an irate caller, Matthews says, “You a dick-in-the-ass bitch. Now, be quiet.”

“Are you fucking, uh, pardon me, are you screwing Davin Clemons? You seem concerned,” Matthews said to another caller. “I’m going to hang up on you because you won’t listen. That’s what you faggots do. You like to run your damn mouth.”

Matthews goes on to attack Clemons’ mother, his husband, and the “gay agenda.”

Much later in the show, Matthews notes that his words are “not an attack on homosexuals.”

The LGBTQ Victory Fund compiled Matthews homophobic statements here. This week, they called Matthews’ earlier attack on Clemons “cringe-worthy” and “insidious.”

This year is not, of course, the first time Matthews has spoken out against homosexuals. In 2011, he disparaged then-city-council-candidate Lee Harris with homophobic slurs.

“Is Lee Harris a faggot?” Matthews asked his listeners in 2011.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Gay Memphis Police Officer Sues the City for Discrimination

Davin Clemons

Memphis Police officer Davin Clemons, a TACT officer who serves as the department’s LGBTQ liaison, has filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department (MPD) alleging discrimination based on his sexual orientation, his disability, and his religion.

He’s being represented by attorney Maureen Holland, the local attorney who was involved in the Obergefell v. Hodges U.S. Supreme Court case that led to same-sex marriage being legalized across the country.

MPD’s LGBTQ liaison role was re-started in 2014 after a lull in participation, and Clemons was the first MPD officer named to the role after its re-launch. In that role, he’s responsible for helping to build trust between the LGBTQ community and the police department. But Clemons alleges that role has backfired, causing some superior officers to discriminate against him because he is gay. 

After being appointed as liaison in August 2014, Clemons claims he was harassed, reprimanded, and humiliated by other officers. 

Much of the discrimination came from an officer named as Lt. Hulsey in the lawsuit. One incident says Hulsey approached Clemons on Beale on July 4th, 2014, and “yelled and degraded Officer Clemons in front of thousands of citizens at a Fourth of July event. … Officer Clemons believes that Lt. Hulsey engaged in this behavior due to sexual stereotypes and, in particular, a belief that Officer Clemons was not sufficiently masculine, was too feminine, or due to a belief that men should only date women, not other men.”

Clemons also claims he has been discriminated against for a medical condition. Clemons has been diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae, a condition that causes serious breakouts on the face after shaving, and his doctor has recommended that he not shave. He had a “shaving profile” on file with MPD, which was supposed to prevent the MPD from forcing him to shave his facial hair (a requirement of most officers). Clemons has said superior officers have harassed him and forced him to shave, despite his doctor’s orders.

Additionally, Clemons claims discrimination based on his religion. Clemons and his partner Darnell Gooch (also a Memphis police officer) founded Cathedral of Praise Church of Memphis, an LGBTQ-inclusive church. Clemons claims he’d asked off for a religious observance on August 13th, 2014, and he’d been granted the day off by a Lt. Jenkins, but the lawsuit says Hulsey refused to remove Clemons from an overtime detail. 

Reads the lawsuit: “This incident lead to a heated verbal disagreement between Officer Clemons and Lt. Hulsey whereby Lt. Hulsey was yelling and screaming and pointing his finger at Officer Clemons and saying that he (Clemons) is going to work the mandated overtime. Officer Clemons objected to working a voluntary overtime on a mandatory basis. Officer Clemons did not yell or scream at Lt. Hulsey in voicing his disagreement. Officer Clemons requested a witness or union representative and Lt. Hulsey denied it. … Officer Clemons was charged with insubordination and disobedience of an order and originally given a 20-day suspension.”

At another time, Clemons, who has a leadership role in his church, claimed Hulsey called him a “false prophet” and that Clemons’ faith “is not to be taken seriously because Officer Clemons is gay.”

“The purpose of the LGBTQ liaisons is to improve trust and relationships, but this is not possible if the appointed Memphis Police LGBTQ liaison is being discriminated against, harassed, and retaliated against due to his participation as a LGBTQ liaison and due to his sex, religion, and disability,” reads the lawsuit.

The suit claims the alleged discrimination against Clemons is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Clemons is seeking at least $300,000 in compensatory damages and losses, back pay, lost benefits, and other economic losses. He would also like the officers named in the suit to receive training to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. 

Holland released the following statement from Clemons: “I’m proud to be a police officer for the MPD. I do, however, want to be treated fairly on the job. I believe that all employees should be treated fairly, based on the quality of their work, not on their sexual orientation, religious beliefs, disability, race, color, ethnicity or any other legally protected characteristic. The purpose of this suit is to protect the right of city employees to fair and nondiscriminatory treatment. I am a committed police officer and want to continue my work without interference and discrimination.”

At a press conference introducing the new Memphis Animal Services director Friday afternoon, Mayor Jim Strickland said he could not comment on Clemons’ lawsuit.

Read the lawsuit here:

[pdf-1]

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Memphis Gaydar News

The Unleashed Voice Magazine Coming This Fall

Mother and son team Gwendolyn and Davin Clemons have announced that they’ll be releasing a bi-monthly LGBTQ magazine this fall.

The Unleashed Voice Magazine will feature stories “of LGBTQ people with engaging and empowering conversation” and will focus on “the multicultural LGBTQ community,” according to a press release.

The Clemonses are the hosts of a LGBTQ talk radio show called “The Unleashed Voice” that airs every Saturday at 5 p.m. on KWAM 990. They also host a series of empowerment workshops through their “Relationships Unleashed” brand. Gwendolyn is a counselor with the Department of Corrections, and Davin is a Memphis police officer, where he serves in the role of LGBTQ liaison for the department. 

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News The Fly-By

LGBTQ Radio Show To Air on KWAM 990

Life coach Gwendolyn Clemons and her son Davin are two peas in a pod — they are both gay, both ministers, and both work in the criminal justice system.

And now the pair is collaborating on a new talk radio show for the LGBTQ community. Called “Relationships Unleashed,” the first hour-long episode will air on KWAM 990 on November 22nd at 5 p.m.

“Our topics will range from building healthy relationships to domestic violence issues in the LGBTQ community,” said Gwendolyn, a supervisor in the counseling department at the Shelby County Division of Corrections. “We want to do some AIDS/HIV awareness and bring in guest experts, and we’ll talk about the self-esteem of the community. We just want to offer something to a community that we feel like is being overlooked and not represented.”

Eventually, the show will accept live calls, she said. But for the first month or so, as the mother-son team gets a feel for their audience, they’ll simply discuss topics without taking callers. They will be taking questions to discuss on the show through a suggestion box on their website. They’re also looking for sponsorships, and they’re having a launch party on Saturday, November 1st at No. 2 Vance (325 Wagner) from 7 to 10 p.m.

“We’re seeking sponsors and donors because it’s going to be tough, and there will be people against us,” said Davin, an officer in the Memphis Police Department’s TACT unit and the LGBTQ liaison for the department. “But we’re bringing a whole new listening audience to KWAM 990.”

Gwendolyn said they called the show “Relationships Unleashed” because they hope the show can help some in the LGBTQ community unleash their own voices.

Gwendolyn Clemons and her son Davin

“People have been bound in the closet. You have to hide who you are all the time. You have to hide at work. You have to hide at school,” Gwendolyn said. “I don’t have the privilege that heterosexuals have to walk down the street holding my wife’s hands, and we’re legally married. I’m unleashing myself from these chains that have been placed on me. Our mantra is ‘Don’t be afraid to come out.’ You’re hurting more by hiding.”

Davin founded the Cathedral of Praise Church of Memphis, Inc. with his life partner Pastor Darnell Gooch in August 2012. Gwendolyn is a minister in the LGBT-affirming church.

“It’s an inclusive ministry. Even my 76-year-old grandmother is a member,” Davin said. “We have regular church service just like everyone else. Every church has gay members, but in some churches, they don’t want to say that. In our church, you can say you’re gay.”

Much like their church, Davin and Gwendolyn want people to know that their new radio show will be inclusive as well.

“This is not a black show or a white show. It’s not a gay show or a straight show,” Davin said. “We’re targeting the LGBTQ community, but we want the larger community to tune in and bridge this gap.”

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Memphis Gaydar News

LGBTQ Police Liaison To Lead Spirituality Discussion

Davin Clemons

  • Davin Clemons

Davin Clemons, a Memphis Police officer who works on the TACT unit and serves as the LGBTQ liaison for department, also happens to be a motivational speaker, an ordained church elder, and the founder of Cathedral of Praise Church of Memphis, Inc.

He’s a member of Clergy Defending Rights for All, which worked with the Tennessee Equality Project to push the non-discrimination ordinance for city workers that passed two years ago. Through his role as police liaison, Clemons said he helps educate his fellow officers on cultural sensitivity.

On Tuesday, October 21st, Clemons will facilitate the monthly meeting of Spirituality Group at the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (892 S. Cooper). Clemons will deliver a presentation titled “Your Gift Is Calling …”