Anti-gay speaker uninvited to event at South Philly charter school

Nation of Islam minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad’s promotional flyer for the now-cancelled lecture at a South Philly charter school. 

Image: Dr. Wesley Muhammad’s Facebook

Dr. Wesley Muhammad bills himself as “the lecture that Facebook and YouTube banned.” As of Thursday morning, he can add “South Philadelphia high school” to that list.

The Nation of Islam minister and controversial black intellectual was promptly uninvited to speak at a conference being held at Universal Audenried Charter High School this week.

Why, you ask? Reportedly because event organizers discovered what Dr. Muhammad would actually be talking about.

On Wednesday evening, a promotional flier circulated rapidly around Philly social media advertising Muhammad’s lecture, “How to Make A Homosexual: The Scientific Assault on Black America.” Muhammad, who shared the flier with more than 30,000 followers on social media, is known for espousing a range of anti-LBGTQ conspiracy theories, most prominently that the U.S. government is engaged in a ploy to turn black men gay through potent marijuana.

Hear it from the Dr. on YouTube:

Or from the Dr.’s Instagram account:

His appearance, originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7 at Universal Audenried Charter High School, was billed as part of the 23rd Annual International Locks Conference, a black-focused health and beauty expo.

Conference organizers could not be reached, and the Philadelphia School District did not respond to requests for comment. However, Mayor Jim Kenney said he was glad the Muhammad’s appearance has been nixed.

“Obviously, I think that’s a completely inappropriate speaker and a very hateful message, and I’m glad that school has taken steps to address it,” Kenney said, through a spokesperson.

Philadelphia magazine’s G Philly blog, which first broke the news, noted that organizers of the Locks Conference were unaware of the flier and that Muhammad’s anti-gay lecture was “not the original topic agreed upon with Dr. Muhammad.”

On his Facebook and Instagram pages Thursday morning, Muhammad responded to the revoked invitation with characteristically addled verve.

“That’s unfortunate. Nevertheless, I continue to support the Locks Convention and pray that our people support it,” he wrote. “So it is clear that the two most powerful lobbies in America – the Jewish and the Homosexual – are hellbent on the information in this lecture, ‘How To Make A Homosexualm’ NEVER makes it to the public’s awareness. You should ask yourself, Why?”

It isn’t the first time Muhammad has responded to a snubbing by doubling down.

In August, BET’s website published an article that was critical of Muhammad’s appearance on The Breakfast Club, a syndicated radio show that has been called “the vanguard of black culture.” The Nation of Islam minister shared a screenshot of the article across several social media channels, with a rebuttal: “Homophobic? Nah BET. Nobody is afraid of homosexuals. We are just exposing the scientific wickedness behind the current Black Homosexual phenomenon.”

Audenried High School is run by Universal Companies, music scion Kenny Gamble’s firm that operates seven charter schools for more than 4,700 students in the city.

Muhammad posted that his appearance has been rescheduled for the same day at a mosque in Wilmington.