Alan Cumming On Why ‘Jesus Would Love The Gays’

Alan Cumming says there’s one guest he truly wishes would stop by for a drink in his New York City gay bar “Club Cumming.”

Who is this mystery guest? Well, it’s Jesus, of course! Page Six reported that the Scottish-American actor, together with promoter Daniel Nardicio and the owners of Eastern Bloc on East Sixth Street, are currently developing the aptly named gay bar “Club Cumming.”

And Alan would dearly love Jesus to visit his gay bar. While hosting the Housing Works Ground-Breaker Awards at the Metropolitan Pavilion on Wednesday, Cumming said he’d love to bring Jesus to his bar.

“I think Jesus has been so maligned. I think Jesus would love my bar because he loved red wine and he loved looking after people who were different and less fortunate than him. I think Jesus would love the gays. I think Jesus would walk in and say, ‘Hey you guys… I actually said I hate bags.'”

Alan Cumming went on to state his belief that Jesus’s “positive, caring, healing message” has been “bastardized.”

“The idea that someone says they are Christian but are against LGBT rights or endorse racism is the antithesis of what Jesus Christ’s message is.”

Cumming added that, when it comes to his Lower East Side gay bar, he thinks Jesus would like the bar’s decor. In fact, he has a sign on the bathroom that says: “One gay at a time, sweet Jesus.”

Page Six also reported that Eastern Bloc will close down in August to allow Club Cumming to complete the necessary renovations, with the gay bar reopening in September.

As it turns out, Alan Cumming has been creating pop-up Club Cumming bars in his Cabaret dressing rooms for some time now, complete with neon signs, doorstaff, cups, and napkins. And, pop-up versions of his club have been hosted in New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, and Edinburgh, Scotland.

Alan’s representative explained that Cumming’s new concept “will be a mixture of performance, DJs, and theme nights – as electric and unexpected as Alan himself.”

“Alan wants it to be a home for everyone of all ages, all genders, all sexualities, who all enjoy letting go and making some mischief. No judgments, no attitude, no rules, except kindness, acceptance and fun.”

In other news, anyone who knows the real Alan Cumming knows that he’s not afraid to challenge supporters of Mississippi’s “Religious Freedom” bill.

Cumming spoke to Page Six on Tuesday, saying that there’s a lot of confusion in the United States about what religious freedom really means.

“I don’t see how a gay person, or an LGBT person just existing in this world, how that can be impeding on anyone’s religious freedoms and I have to challenge anyone who supports that law by saying, ‘Surely your God is a kind God and if you’re looking at the Bible and Jesus as your book of rules, then I think you should look at it again to see that he’s actually a kind person and he would not approve of suddenly being prejudiced against people just because of who they are.'”

The controversial law allows people to refuse service to transgender people or same-sex couples if their religion does not agree with the way they are living their lives. As expected, this controversial law has sparked a lot of backlash over the past week. Calling the proposed bill “very, very dangerous,” Alan Cumming says that using the Bible to discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people is “just another excuse for hatred and persecution.”

Alan Cumming has been a strong voice in the LGBTQIA+ community for a long time, and since 1998 has worked with organizations like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. He married his husband Grant Shaffer in 2007.

Cumming recently participated in a AGMHC advertising campaign designed to promote the AIDS walk on May 15, and he’s strongly urging people to address the hate speech being spread by some political front-runners.

“There’s a lot of people here feeling very angry because they’re being encouraged to leave their compassionate side alone and think only of themselves and think only the worst. I think this is a cause to say, ‘Look, everybody, it’s a very dangerous state of affairs when we just allow negative things to be said about members of society.'”

Kelsey Louie, the CEO of GMHC, is full of praise for Alan’s work with the organization.

“Alan and the other New Yorkers involved in this campaign are demanding national leaders who have a thoughtful plan for a cure, and will not discriminate or put forth prejudiced policies.”

At the moment, Alan Cumming is in Los Angeles with Emma Stone and Steve Carell shooting Battle of the Sexes.

[Featured Image by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images]