Gay History - March 31, 1998 Coretta Stt Kg: “Homophobia Is Like Racism and Anti-Semism”

Contents:

• CORETTA'S BIG DREAM: CORETTA STT KG ON GAY RIGHTS
• BERNICE KG DEFENDS HERSELF AGAST ANTI-GAY REMARKS
• GAY HISTORY – CORETTA STT KG ADVOT FOR LGBT RIGHTS.
• HOW CORETTA STT KG LEVERAGED MLK’S LEGACY TO FIGHT FOR GAY RIGHTS
• CORETTA STT KG ON GAY RIGHTS
• THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

CORETTA'S BIG DREAM: CORETTA STT KG ON GAY RIGHTS

For more than twenty years before her ath 2006, she fought tirelsly for gay rights and lked the civil rights movement wh the LGBT rights movement, believg all the while that her work was a fahful exprsn of the clive dream shared by her hband. Kg's first public foray to the gay rights movement occurred durg her steady learship of the 20th anniversary of the 1963 march.

Durg the n-up to the anniversary, Kg whstood the ti of social nservatism and pledged her support for the Gay and Civil Rights Act then before Congrs -- a groundbreakg bill that would have prohibed discrimatn agast gays and lbians hog, employment and public acmodatns. Enuraged by gay and lbian lears, Mrs.

BERNICE KG DEFENDS HERSELF AGAST ANTI-GAY REMARKS

Given the homophobia of some civil rights lears takg part the rally, Kg's cisn to make room for a lbian speaker was nothg short of prophetic.

So was Lor's brief speech:I am Audre Lor, speakg for the Natnal Coaln of Black Gays.

GAY HISTORY – CORETTA STT KG ADVOT FOR LGBT RIGHTS.

Today's march openly jos the black civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement the stggl we have always shared, the stggle for jobs, for health, for peace and for eedom. Kg's public advocy for gay and lbian rights creased after the Supreme Court led, Bowers v. Hardwick, that gays did not have a nstutnal right to engage nsensual sodomy.

She happily agreed and took the ocsn to exprs her "solidary wh the gay and lbian movement.

HOW CORETTA STT KG LEVERAGED MLK’S LEGACY TO FIGHT FOR GAY RIGHTS

Kg also unseled and forted gay iends sufferg om the ravag of HIV and AIDs. Wh help om her special assistant Lynn Cothren, an openly gay man, she created a welg environment at the Kg Center and ed the Center's rourc to te the lol muny about the disease.

Kg was so touched when one of her close gay iends died that she hosted his fay and circle of iends for a quiet day of sewg stch on a panel that would bee part of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. In 1993 she held a prs nference urgg Print Clton to stop the ban on gays and lbians servg openly the ary. Many gays and lbians, she stated at the time, had marched the civil rights movement, givg her every reason to return the support they had so eely offered Ain-Amerins the 1950s and 60s.

And 2002, after a vic beatg of a gay man at Morehoe College, Mrs. Kg roundly nounced the "toxic" vis of homophobia and lled for an crease public fundg for diversy fearls approach to gay rights reached new heights when she publicly nounced Print Gee W. Kg stated: "Gay and lbian people have fai, and their fai should have legal protectn, whether by marriage or civil unn.

CORETTA STT KG ON GAY RIGHTS

" Even more potedly, she add: "A nstutnal amendment banng same-sex marriage is a form of gay bashg and would do nothg to protect tradnal marriag. " The implitn of her pot was clear: Print Bh had wrongly endorsed gay the earlit days of her advocy, Coretta Stt Kg remaed firmly nvced that her hband would have supported her mpaign for LGBT rights.

At last, Coretta Stt Kg believed that by fightg for gay rights, she was simply helpg to build "the beloved muny of Mart Luther Kg, Jr., where all people n live together a spir of tst and unrstandg, harmony, love and peace.

"She was right about that, and I was glad to see her dghter Bernice, known for her opposn to gay marriage, fally showg public signs of support for . Mart Luther Kg Jr., the current issue of Atlanta magaze fends herself regardg anti-gay remarks.

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Dpe her mother Coretta Stt Kg’s support for LGBT equaly, Kg is an ordaed mister who led a prott agast gay marriage, bee of her personal beliefs. She argu she is not homophobic and that she is “not the enemy, ” bee she has iends who are gay and lbian. Kgs ments, ma rponse to backlash om lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) advot, ironilly beme public jt days before Print Barack Obama named Bayard Rt, the openly gay advisor to Dr.

“Homophobia Is Like Racism and Anti-Semism” – Coretta Stt Kg.

“For many years now, I have been an outspoken supporter of civil and human rights for gay and lbian people. … I still hear people say that I should not be talkg about the rights of lbian and gay people, and I should stick to the issue of racial jtice.