NAACP President Could Be Removed In Anne Arundel After Comments On Gay People, Women

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD - Anne Arundel County NAACP President Rickey Nelson Jones is facing calls for his removal. Reports said his comments about gay people and women have drawn backlash.

The Capital on Friday broke the news of the petition for removal, which was sent to the national NAACP leadership for consideration.

The Capital said Jones published a book in 2005 that called same-sex relationships "an abomination to God, leading the participants to hell." The book additionally claimed women shouldn't pastor or teach if a man can do the job, The Capital reported. The Capital also said the book was revised this year, but those statements remain in the book.

NAACP member Marguerite Morris organized the petition against Jones, The Baltimore Banner reported. In a video submitted in the complaint, The Banner said Jones states "Homosexuality is a sin and an abomination to God, and dying in that lifestyle leads to eternal damnation."

Jones defended himself in a statement to The Banner.

"I have relatives who entered the homosexual community, and I love them from head-to-toe. As a man who has been married to the same African-American Woman for 37 years (as of 2023) and a Pastor of a traditional Baptist Church, I do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle," Jones, founder of Living Exactly Like Jesus Baptist Church in Columbia, told The Banner. "That does not equate to hatred against homosexuals. Such would be hatred against my own relatives, an absurd idea."

Jones also addressed the allegations of sexism.

"Unfortunately, this is a false accusation that is often lodged against masculine, independent thinking, men by some women who cannot 'get their way' with him," Jones told The Capital. "I cannot stop people from spreading falsehoods due to their anger and dislike of someone they cannot control."

To see more reactions to the petition for Jones' ouster, read the full stories from The Capital and The Banner. 

The Capital's article is only available to subscribers, however. Anybody with an Anne Arundel County Public Library card can read the story by searching "NAACP" at this link.

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