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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJanuary 16th, 2012
Bernice King, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has had a difficult relationship with the gay community. In 2004, she led a march with disgraced Atlanta anti-gay preacher Eddie Long to support a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality in Georgia. Before an audience of conservative Christians in 2004, she denounced equality for gay people, saying “I know deep down in my sanctified soul that he (Dr. King) did not take a bullet for same-sex marriage.” This position contrasted sharply with those of Coretta Scott King, Bernice’s mother and Dr. King’s wife, who appealed to “everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.”
Today, it looks like Bernice King has enjoyed something of an epiphany. Speaking at Atlanta’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr., rally, she addressed the LGBT community in her remarks. According to the GA Voice:
In a passionate, sermon-like speech about building unity, King said she didn’t care if people were Hindu, Buddhist, Islamist, were from the North side or the South side, were black or white, were “heterosexual or homosexual, or gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender” — that all people were needed to create unity.
LGBT advocates in the crowd were surprised and delighted by the inclusion. Witnesses agree that she began by talking about the need to unite all people, “heterosexual or homosexual,” before backing up to replace the word “homosexual” with “gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.”
Paulina Helm-Hernandez, LGBT honorary grand marshal for the march and rally, said, “I thought it was great. First time I’ve ever heard her say lesbian, gay, bi and trans out loud. She said homosexual at first and then corrected herself. It takes a lot of grace to do something like that when you’re on a roll.”
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Justin
January 17th, 2012
“This position contrasted sharply with those of Coretta Scott King, Bernice’s mother and Dr. King’s husband…”
I believe you mean Dr. King’s wife.
Muscat
January 17th, 2012
Positive development!
Brian
January 17th, 2012
Does she still oppose equal marriage? Or is this just another meaningless lip service to “love the homosexual” while denying the validity of our lives and loves?
TN
January 17th, 2012
@Brian Even if it is “lip service” it’s still something. Obama wasn’t just playing politics when he said he was evolving. People are doing that all over the place. Love the sinner, hate the sin is just one step in the process. If she isn’t in favor of marriage now, then she will be soon.
Timothy Kincaid
January 17th, 2012
I do hope she has changed. I’m not exactly sure that using the words “gay, leabian, bisexual, and transgender” instead of ” homosexual” is quite sufficient to tell me anything at all whatsoever but it is a step in the right direction. And as it is MLK Day I’ll be generous today. But come tomorrow I might hope that we are as generous with Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, or Alan Chambers as we are with Bernice King.
Lucrece
January 17th, 2012
Unite =/= sudden change of heart on the belief of straight supremacy. She could mean we can be “together” while we have disagreements on whether gay people are inferior to straight people.
Quite frankly, hollow words unless she leads a charge to repeal the ban she championed and hoisted upon gay people not long ago.
james
January 17th, 2012
Dr. King died before LGBT equality was a serious public civil rights issues. He died before the term LGBT was even being used in the language. He had some advisors who were known to be homosexual, but the truth is we will never know exactly what Dr. King thought on this matter were or what he might have said or done.
Jay Jonson
January 17th, 2012
I wouldn’t trust anything she says. I am sure she was a deep disappointment to her mother and also to her sister Yolanda, who died much too early.
Reed Boyer
January 17th, 2012
I’m pleased. Given Coretta’s outspoken support (including expressing her belief as to what MLK, Jr. would think had he lived), I’m glad Bernice seems to have finally listened to her mother – who, I believe, knew MLK, Jr.’s heart better than anyone else.
Regan DuCasse
January 17th, 2012
Actually, her anti gay position was a turn around.
I don’t remember the title, but there was a book that came out about 15 years or so ago, about black clergy who supported marriage equality and full equality for gay people.
Several of the clergy interviewed and who were individually profiled and their support clearly stated was Rev. Cecil Murray of First AME, Rev. Carl Bean, and Bernice King, Bishop Larson…and so on.
I was shocked to see her anti gay sermons and comments later and that she was one of the ministers in Long’s church.
I wish I could remember the name of the book.
I thought at the time that she was in accordance with her mother and older sister. That wouldn’t have surprised me.
So if she’s modified her opinions, it would be a good thing. She needs to return to the fold of equal justice for ALL as any legacy of civil rights has always been.
MattNYC
January 17th, 2012
james,
I think we do have to have some faith in what CSK has said about her MLK’s thoughts on the matter. She was his closest confidante and Bayard Rustin was a very frequent guest in their home. I think it’s highly likely that he had views that were not always voiced publicly on this and other issues. I would certainly take CSK’s comments over Bernice’s previous words.
I do welcome this apparent change and hope we’ll see further evidence of her “evolution.”
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