Against Gay Marriage as Pastor, Defender of LGBTQ+ Rights as Mayor?

Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr. shakes hands of supporters after speaking to a crowd on stage at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, while announcing he will be running for Detroit mayor.  

For the first time in more than 10 years, Detroit will choose a new mayor without an incumbent on the ballot. Among the candidates are a City Council president, a nonprofit leader, a former police chief, and a reverend.

The Rev. Solomon Kinloch gained early traction as a spiritual leader and community-first candidate. Recent polling shows Kinloch in tight competition for second or third place as Detroit heads into a tightly contested primary on Aug. 5.

Kinloch currently leads Triumph Church, a large, multisite congregation with seven campuses and 40,000 members across the region. He has led Triumph Church since 1998 and has stated he intends to retain his pastoral duties if elected. His long tenure pastoring a large church body is part of Kinloch's appeal to be a credible candidate for public office. But that same tenure raises questions among some potential constituents about his willingness to defend the rights of LGBTQ+ Detroiters.

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