Bernice King, Martin Luther's King granddaughter

Recently, Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the late and great Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has taken the lead role as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which was founded by her father in 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested for failing to give up her seat on a bus for a white man.

But, when it comes to Civil Rights, according to Bernice, they don’t apply for LGBT Americans. King doesn’t support marriage equality and doesn’t believe her father would have either, stating:

“I know deep down in my sanctified soul that he did not take a bullet for same-sex unions.”

Over the years, the SCLC has struggled to hold it’s place of prominence and the group’s member ship has been greatly reduced, due to lack of interest and infighting.

However, not all Civil Rights leaders agree with King’s daughter when it comes to same-sex marriage or her father’s possible view on the subject.  In an interview with gayagenda.com, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), who led the 1965  voter rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama and worked side by side with MKL Jr. stated:

“It is unfortunate that a segment of our society fails to see that we all should be treated like human beings, that we all are citizens of the United States of America. I’ve taken the position and I’ve long held this position that I fought too long and too hard against discrimination base on race and color not to stand up and speak out against discrimination based on sexual orientation. It doesn’t matter if someone is gay or straight or whether someone believes in a different philosophy or different religion. We’re one people, we’re one family, and we’re one house. There is not any room in American society for discrimination based on sexual orientation. It doesn’t matter whether someone is gay or happens to be lesbian or transsexual. We’re one people; we’re one family, the American family. You call it what you want, discrimination is discrimination and we have to speak up and speak out against discrimination. You have too many people in this society saying they’re against same-sex marriage. If people fall in love and want to get married, it is their business. Martin Luther King Jr. use to say races don’t fall in love in love and get married; individuals fall in love and get married. So if two men or two women want to fall in love and get married it’s their business. Some people say it is a threat to the institution of marriage, and some of these people who go around saying that same sex marriage is a threat to the institution of marriage, which marriage or what marriage are they talking about? Some of these same individuals have had several marriages and I don’t think individuals that happen to be gay are a threat to anybody’s marriage. Love is love. It is better to love than to hate, it is better to be together than to be divided.”

So, perhaps King’s daughter is out of touch, or maybe the fact she’s a Baptist preacher has skewed her views towards the LGBT community, which last I knew, includes people of all races and colors.

Perhaps her attitude, which is slowly diminishing is one reason groups such as the SCLC are having difficulty maintaining it’s shrinking number of members.  One would think, the opinions of those such as Mr. Lewis, who lived through the Civil Rights Movement, and was  an important part of, would be of greater value than someone who perhaps is riding on the coattails of a namesake.

Civil Rights are for all Americans and should not be granted based upon sexual orientation, which unfortunately, is a concept widely misunderstood by those who are deeply embedded within certain Christian ideologies.

It surprises me, that someone who lost their father because he was fighting for equality,  would let themselves believe that they are qualified to judge who is, and who is not equal.

Fuente:

http://www.gayagenda.com/2009/11/the-homophobia-of-mlk-jrs-daughter/