By Berl Schwartz

Members of the gay community in Lansing’s 4th Ward will have to choose between a candidate for City Council who left them wanting on his views on homosexuality vs. a candidate who was uninformed on other fronts.
At a forum Monday at the Black Child and Family Institute attend by about 25 people,

Lester D. Stone, a Baptist minister, said he supports equal rights for homosexuals, but he stopped short of renouncing the view that homosexuality is a sin.
His opponent, Geneva Smith, left no doubt that she both supports gay rights and has no moral problem with homosexuality – even saying she backs gay marriage.
But she stumbled on other fronts. For example, when asked about the city’s controversial sewage-water separation tax issue, Smith said, "I am not familiar with that."
And just as Stone was grilled on his views on homosexuality, Smith faced repeated questions on why she is a Republican – ostensibly a non-issue in the nonpartisan contest but in reality a factor in a ward that is overwhelmingly Democratic and among gay voters, who are also largely Democrats.
Stone is the pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, and audience members repeatedly expressed their concerns about how Stone would or could separate his role as a councilman when it came to gay rights from his role as a minister in a religion that condemns homosexuality.
He said clearly and repeatedly that he would support an ordinance that banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Council passed such an ordinance in 1995, but voters repealed it in a referendum.
"Gay people and lesbian people pay their taxes, and I don’t see anybody around here rejecting your taxes," he said. "We have to embrace the fact that gay people and lesbians should have equal rights. … I am going to help you with your struggle."
But Stone drew a line between his civic views and his religious views.
"You’re pressing me on the religious issue, and I’m not going to move on that," he said, adding, "You should not be concerned. We have to respect the differences. The religious community has a right to whatever it may believe. My problem is what they believe may tip into how they treat you every day."
Asked if he believes homosexuality is a sin, Stone said, "The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
Stone said he "would have to think about" whether he would use his pulpit to support gay rights. "I am being very realistic and honest with you today. When I said let me think about it, I’m asking you to give me space to let me think about the best way to do this. It might be more productive to talk to people one and one."
He said he has already informed some members of his congregation and other black pastors of his support for gay rights. He said some of the pastors had reacted favorably.
He asked the audience to consider the advantages of having an ally on the Council who is a leader in the religious community. "You have to deal with the religious community," he said. "You have to start at ground level working with those who bring the greatest opposition" to gay rights.
"I bring to the table a two-fold perspective," he said. "I understand and appreciate what the religious position is. There is also the religious position that our God is a God of justice who helps people who are oppressed."
Stone cited his leadership in the Edward Swans case as an example of how persistent and determined he can be when he fights for an issue, such as gay rights. Swans was a black man who died in Lansing’s jail after a struggle with authorities. Stone led protests against the city that contributed to jail reforms and a far more integrated police force.
"If I’m committed to something, I’m there," Stone said. "The criticism of me is I don’t know when to go home."

Smith had a far easier time with the audience on the gay rights issue. She had the advantage of having publicly supported the gay rights ordinance in 1995 both personally as a leader of the Lansing chapter of the NAACP, of which she is president.
She said she would be willing to sponsor a new gay rights ordinance and would also one to provide domestic-partner benefits for gay city employees. She said she had no problem with gay marriage.
Smith seemed well informed on a number of social issues related to the gay community, such as HIV and AIDS. "We need to get better educated," including in the black community, where she said pastors should take a leading role. "You’re going to be preaching the funeral, so you better get your head out of the sand."
She said she is opposed to allowing the Boy Scouts of America the use of public facilities as long as the organization rejects gay members. The Boy Scout policy is "despicable," adding, "Too bad we can’t get rid of some of the Supreme Court judges" who upheld the rights of the scouts to reject gay members.
But her grasp of other issues seemed lacking. Besides saying she was unfamiliar with the sewer water separation issue, she said she "would need more information … before I would make a comment" on factors that have delayed converting Capitol and Grand avenues downtown to one way.
"I’m not trying to sidestep any of that," she added. "I’m just being honest with you."
Smith took a strong position in favor of tearing down long boarded-up houses, saying she would give the owner "four months" to make repairs "or it has to come down as an eyesore and a danger."
An audience member challenged her, saying, "I live in a wonderful neighborhood. Ten, 12 years ago they were going to tear down the houses."
Smith responded, "I’m not opposed to fixing up houses. They have done that in the Capital Commons area (where she lives), but the ones that were in really bad condition they tore down and built very nice houses. When we have a home that has been boarded up for 10 years, you have to make a decision."
While Smith skated on gay rights issues, the audience pressed her repeatedly on her affiliation with the Republican Party.
One audience member asked if she would become a Democrat if the Democrats sent a limousine for her. That was a reference to her statement earlier in September about why she had become a Republican. "They reached out to me," when Bill Lucas was the GOP candidate for governor in 1986," she had said. They made me feel welcome." She had recalled that a party member had sent a limousine to take her to a fund raiser.
Smith tersely denied that the limousine had anything to with becoming a Republican.
"Everybody assumes because you’re black, you have to be a Democrat. I became a Republican because it was a philosophy I believe in." Asked what the philosophy was, she said, "Togetherness, family, religion, education, "although she expressed some differences over education.
"I like them because I just enjoy being a Republican. I’ve never had to explain before why I am a Republican."
Smith added that she differs from Republicans on some fundamental issues, such as a freedom of reproductive choice, which she favors. She said local Republicans have accepted the fact that she is a maverick. "They know how I am."