Funeral for Gay Man 'Blasphemous,' Pastor Reportedly Told Grieving Mom

A Tampa church is making national headlines after it decided to cancel services for a man whose obituary listed a surviving “husband.”

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 3005 E. Ellicott St., told mother Julie Atwood the night before her son’s service it would be “blasphemous” to hold the funeral there because he was gay, according to WFLA.

Julion Evans, 42, married his partner Kendall Capers in Maryland last year, the station reported. The two had been together for 17 years.

Atwood attended the Tampa church for years and was baptized there. She asked for Evans’ service to be held there because a large location was needed and several family members still attend the church.

Pastor T.W. Jenkins told WFLA his church preaches against gay marriage and congregants didn’t think the service was appropriate. He informed Atwood of the cancellation during Evans’ wake, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“I’m not trying to condemn anyone’s lifestyle, but at the same time, I am a man of God, and I have to stand up for my principles,” Jenkins told WFLA.

Capers sees it differently.

“We can’t even have a dignified service like the next person could?” Capers told the Times. “This is 2014 and we’re still going through this.”

Evans died July 26 after a lengthy battle with amyloidosis. That condition can lead to organ damage and eventually organ failure, according to the Mayo Clinic.

While New Hope refused to play a role in the burial, Blount & Curry funeral home in Oldsmar stepped in to assist, the paper reported.

Photo Credit: New Hope Baptist Church Facebook page.