“Pray the Gay Away” Pastor Donnie McClurkin Sued Over Alleged Sexual Abuse, Emails

A New York civil lawsuit alleges the Grammy-winning gospel star used faith, mentorship, and spiritual authority to groom and sexually abuse a young male congregant over nearly a decade, claims he strongly denies.

Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin is facing a civil lawsuit in New York that alleges he sexually abused a former congregant over the course of nearly a decade, accusations his attorney has categorically denied.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court, was brought by Giuseppe Corletto, who alleges that McClurkin sexually assaulted and raped him repeatedly between 2007 and 2015. The complaint accuses McClurkin, a prominent figure in gospel music and the longtime pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Long Island, of exploiting his position of spiritual authority to groom, manipulate and abuse Corletto while framing the alleged conduct as part of religious counseling.

McClurkin, 66, has won three Grammy Awards and has logged numerous No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums and Gospel Airplay charts. He has also been a highly visible religious leader, particularly known for his outspoken views on sexuality and his public statements about being “delivered from homosexuality.”

According to the lawsuit, Corletto joined McClurkin’s congregation in 2003 at age 21 after reading the singer’s autobiography, which portrayed homosexuality as something to be overcome through prayer and devotion. Corletto says he was struggling with his sexuality and sought McClurkin’s guidance because of the pastor’s public testimony.

What began as mentorship soon escalated, the complaint alleges. Corletto says McClurkin began providing one-on-one spiritual counseling sessions aimed at helping him “pray the gay away,” eventually hiring him as a personal assistant. The two traveled together for church and music-related business, creating what the lawsuit describes as a profound power imbalance; McClurkin was Corletto’s pastor, employer and spiritual authority.

The first alleged assault occurred in 2007, when Corletto says McClurkin forced him to engage in oral and anal sex in a California hotel room. The lawsuit alleges that similar assaults occurred over the next several years during trips to Atlantic City, New Jersey; Manhattan; Florida; Boston; and Niagara Falls, as well as at McClurkin’s Long Island home and church property.

“Throughout this period, plaintiff attempted to quit on multiple occasions,” the complaint states. “Defendant, however, denied plaintiff’s requests, further coercing him to stay by telling plaintiff that his ‘deliverance’ and ‘purpose’ were tied to defendant.”

Corletto alleges that McClurkin used scripture and religious language to convince him that enduring the abuse was part of his spiritual growth and that leaving would jeopardize his salvation. In interviews, Corletto has said he believed he was to blame and that his faith made it difficult to recognize the alleged abuse as abuse.

One of the most striking elements of the lawsuit is an image of what appears to be a 2013 email sent by McClurkin to Corletto. In the message, McClurkin appears to acknowledge inappropriate behavior, writing that he was “the actual epitome of a desperate dirty ‘old man'”who groped “a young man who is just looking for a friendship and close plutonic [sic] relationship.” The email also states, “You don’t have that desire for me and I shouldn’t have it for you. I forced myself on you.”

Billboard, which first reported on the lawsuit, said it has not independently verified the authenticity of the email. McClurkin’s attorney, Greg Lisi, did not directly address the email but forcefully denied all allegations in the complaint.

“At no time did Pastor McClurkin engage in any form of sexual abuse, assault or sexual coercion of Mr. Corletto,” Lisi said in a statement. “The claims set forth in the lawsuit grossly mischaracterize their interactions, which occurred over a decade, and some accusations over two decades ago.”

Lisi described the allegations as “categorically false” and said they are “contradicted by the real facts.”

Corletto says he left his job as McClurkin’s assistant in 2008 but remained within overlapping professional and religious circles. The lawsuit alleges that McClurkin reinitiated contact in 2012 and assaulted him again during a hotel stay in Florida, followed by additional incidents in 2013. The final alleged incident occurred in 2015, when Corletto says he sought McClurkin’s guidance while experiencing mental health struggles.

“As a result of the foregoing, plaintiff has sustained injury, emotional pain and suffering, physical pain, emotional distress, celibacy, pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life,” the lawsuit states.

Corletto is seeking an unspecified amount of financial damages. The case is being brought under New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, which temporarily expanded the window for survivors of sexual violence to file civil lawsuits related to older allegations.

In interviews, Corletto has said he is now married and in a healthier place emotionally, though his relationship with organized religion remains complicated. He has described the lawsuit as an effort to reclaim his voice and accountability rather than revenge.

The allegations arrive amid ongoing national conversations about abuse within religious institutions and the ways in which spiritual authority can be weaponized against vulnerable congregants, particularly LGBTQ people seeking acceptance or guidance.

McClurkin has not personally commented on the lawsuit beyond his attorney’s statement. The case remains pending.

Resources for Survivors of Sexual Abuse:

• National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 800-656-HOPE (4673) or online chat at rainn.org
  
• National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (U.S.)
  
• The Trevor Project (LGBTQ support): 866-488-7386 or thetrevorproject.org
  
• 1in6 (Support for male survivors): 1in6.org