Gay group wants Obama to cut ties to singer

Performer opposes homosexuality

Donnie McClurkin is among several gospel singers scheduled to raise money for the Illinois senator at a concert in South Carolina this weekend.

McClurkin has drawn attention from gay rights activists for his views on homosexuality.

‘‘I don’t believe that it is the intention of God,’’ McClurkin said Monday in a telephone interview.

McClurkin said he does not believe in discriminating against homosexuals. ‘‘What people do in their bedrooms and who they are as human beings are two different things,’’ he said.

Obama’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘‘We strongly urge Obama to part ways with this divisive preacher who is clearly singing a different tune than the stated message of the campaign,’’ Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, said in a statement.

At a forum on gay issues in August, Obama argued that civil unions for same-sex couples wouldn’t be a ‘‘lesser thing’’ than marriage. Obama belongs to the United Church of Christ, which supports gay marriage, but Obama has yet to go that far.

In a telephone interview Monday, Besen said he admired Obama, but wasn’t ready to endorse him, especially considering McClurkin taking part in the campaign’s ‘‘Embrace the Change’’ concert tour.

‘‘I think he’d be a great president. But I think it’s going to drive away support from people who are on the fence such as myself,’’ Besen said.

McClurkin, a Grammy Award winner, performed at the Republican National Convention in 2004.