Dr. Martin Luther King's pointed to a transcendent moral standard as the foundation for his fight against segregation. I have long argued that the principles upon which he stood argue against rights for same-sex marriage.
The other day, I was taken to task by someone who provided statements against "homophobia" by Coretta Scott King, who (the critic insisted) would know Dr. King better than anyone else, myself included.
The person provided these quotes from Mrs. King:
Coretta Scott King: “I appeal to everybody who believes in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbians and gay people.”
Coretta Scott King: “Like Martin, I don’t believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others.”
Coretta Scott King: “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.”
First, is this person saying that no one else but Mrs. King can tell us what Dr. King thought especially given all his writings? What do we do now that she has passed on?
Second, could Mrs. King ever be wrong about what her husband believed especially years after his death on a subject that was not predominant during his life? Could she ever read her beliefs into what he might have believed?
Third - and this is key, none of the quotes this person provided from Mrs. King address same-sex marriage! They all address homosexuality. This person was trying to equate homophobia and opposition to same-sex marriage. That two are not the same. If one claims they are the same then is the homosexual who opposes same-sex marriage a homophobe?
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