Charlene Cothran
Encyclopedia
Charlene E. Cothran is the publisher of the magazines Venus and the defunct Kitchen Table News (not to be confused with the feminist, activist publishing company Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press).
Cothran founded Venus in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia
. Cothran, a former lesbian
and gay rights activist, tailored Venus to the interests of LGBT
people of African descent, especially African-American lesbians.
Following a religious conversion
to Christianity in 2006, Cothran changed the editorial policy of Venus, and began to promote what is popularly called the ex-gay
movement through the magazine. Cothran claims that her target audience remains the same. Cothran's abrupt renunciation of her activist political views in favor of evangelical proclamations sparked a campaign by the gay community resulting in the loss of advertising revenue.
Cothran went on to form The Evidence Ministry, Inc., an evangelical
mission encouraging gays to renounce homosexuality.
Cothran founded Venus in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Cothran, a former lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and gay rights activist, tailored Venus to the interests of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people of African descent, especially African-American lesbians.
Following a religious conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to Christianity in 2006, Cothran changed the editorial policy of Venus, and began to promote what is popularly called the ex-gay
Ex-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship...
movement through the magazine. Cothran claims that her target audience remains the same. Cothran's abrupt renunciation of her activist political views in favor of evangelical proclamations sparked a campaign by the gay community resulting in the loss of advertising revenue.
Cothran went on to form The Evidence Ministry, Inc., an evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
mission encouraging gays to renounce homosexuality.