Terry McMillan’s Homophobic Statements Dangerous

Sparks have been flying between Terry McMillan and her husband Jonathan Plummer, as McMillan hurls insults, and drops a juicy plot that rivals any lust laced fiction.

A literary titan, penning novels such as Waiting To Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, McMillan filed for a divorce from her Jamaican born love amid accusations that he is gay. Reported too, is that McMillan prefers an annulment. I don’t want to negate the torment that Terry McMillan has to endure during this time in her life, but she does sound like a tempestuous homophobe, says Mental Health Therapist and Personal Advisor to the stars, Terence McPhaul. Ending a relationship is a difficult process, however, it concerns me when I hear Terry [McMillan] make inflammatory statements about gay men as if they alone are the cause of the entire AIDS pandemic. McPhaul adds, Her misguided statements can be dangerous. The fact of the matter is, that no one should venture outside of a committed relationship, McPhaul opines.

To clarify further McPhaul, who is author of The Psychology of Hip Hop and The Celebrity Psyche says, there are individuals who have contracted HIV/AIDS through sharing needles and other means, so the necessity of a person to know the sexual history of a partner is not negated because a person is heterosexual. It is true that men on the ‘down-low’ do exist, but this is not a new occurrence, however, only recently has it been sensationalized; mostly by individuals who would rather not have to take responsibility for their own behavior, said McPhaul.

Of course, there are men and women out there who act irresponsibly, knowing of their HIV/AIDS status and failing to disclose this to a sexual partner. And while this act may be unconscionable, gay men alone are not to blame. To date, there is no reported evidence that her husband has exposed her to HIV/AIDS, yet the melodrama continues. Obviously, the divorce proceedings and public discussions have created a difficult climate for Plummer who is McMillan’s junior by 23 years. Terry is obviously angry, and her ego suffered a significant blow. Given her personality, I am not surprised at the measures she has taken to exact revenge on her estranged husband, McPhaul said.

McPhaul is regularly sought by program directors of TV talk shows and national media as an expert in the field of Mental Health, to deliver perspective or respond to programming regarding social and behavioral issues. McPhaul has appeared as a Mental Health expert for Court TV, and Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor for FOX News.