A child of The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s marched this past weekend in an anti-gay protest. The Rev. Bernice King is an evangelical who claims that her father would not have supported gay rights. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, disagrees and has said that her husband would have been a champion of gay rights were he alive today. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, who writes for Alternet and Blacknews.com says there is an easy way to resolve this family debate: look at the relationship between King and his close (gay) associate Bayard Rustin.
King risked much to work with and defend Rustin during the tumultuous battles of the civil rights era. He valued him as an ally and a major player in the struggle. He also believed that deeply embodied in the civil rights fight was a person's right to be whom and what he was. While King may have praised his daughter for having the courage and conviction to march for her beliefs, bigotry is still bigotry, whether it's racial or sexual preference. He would not have marched by her side.
Amen.
Related Post: Homosexuality and the Bible.
