Coretta Scott King Dies at the Age of Seventy-Eight
Posted on | January 31, 2006
This morning brings the sad news that Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and advocate for gay rights has died at the age of seventy-eight. She recently made a surprise appearance at what would have been her husband’s seventy-seventh birthday two weeks ago while still recovering from the heart attack and stroke she suffered in August.
She will be greatly missed.
"I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice. But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brother and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people." - Coretta Scott King, March 31st, 1998
I have hopes that her support for equal rights for gays and lesbians is picked up by three of her children, Yolanda, Dexter, and Martin Luther III. Her fourth child, Bernice, has taken an active stance denouncing gay rights and use of her father’s name by gay activists in spite of her mother.
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3 Responses to “Coretta Scott King Dies at the Age of Seventy-Eight”
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January 31st, 2006 @ 11:35 am
Thanks for the quote.
Sad day indeed.
February 2nd, 2006 @ 3:21 am
towleroad has a note and some great pro-gay quotes by coretta. what a woman! bless her
“Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood. This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group.” — at the 25th Anniversary Luncheon for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, April 1, 1998.
“Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union. A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages is a form of gay bashing and it would do nothing at all to protect traditional marriages.”
http://towleroad.typepad.com/towleroad/2006/01/coretta_scott_k.html
February 2nd, 2006 @ 3:21 am
and this one too
“We have a lot more work to do in our common struggle against bigotry and discrimination. I say “common struggleâ€? because I believe very strongly that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are equally wrong and should be opposed by right-thinking Americans everywhere. Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender, or ethnic discrimination.” — November 9, 2000