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WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

 

Award— Winning Supporter of Gay Rights:

 

Coretta Scott King

BY DR. G. PENNY NIXON

ith the passing of Mrs.
Coretta Scott King,
we have lost not only

a woman who stayed in the
struggle for freedom but also a
leader who embodied the ideals
and true values of that freedom.
And in her passing, the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-
gender (LGBT) community has
lost an advocate and an ally.
Mrs. King's vision of freedom
deliberately — and sometimes
controversially — ir1cluded_her
advocacy for the rights and
equality of the LGBT community.
In November of 2002, I met
Mrs. King when she made a rare
trip to San Francisco to accept
our Circles of Hopeaward from
the Metropolitan Community
Foundation. The award hon- I
ors outstanding contributions
to the advancement of LGBT
civil rights. People from every
walk of life, from within and
beyond the LGBT community,
‘<?a"r’fi'é"6ir"t to honor her. The
gala crowd was as diverse as
any I have seen in San Fran-
cisco. Patti LaBelle appeared
and sang in tribute to her.
Mrs. King had this to say on '

that unforgettable evening:

“I accept this award as a re-
ajfirmation of my commitment .
to challenge all forms of dis-
crimination and persecution
and to do everything I can to
help make our democracy more
inclusive, because none of us
can be free, until all of us are
free...and _I accept this award
with heartfelt appreciation for
my lesbian and gay, bisexual
and transgender sisters and
brothers who are working for
human rights and social prog-
ress for people of all races. ”

. Mrs. King’s unparalleled and
dignified grace framed her life
of love and justice at every turn.

As the American flag flies at
half mast, it is a sad irony that
the America she dreamed of
and worked for is dissolving
day by day as our liberties are
being eroded. On the day of her
Passing, the President paid brief
homage to her in his State of
the Union address, and Judge
Samuel Alitu was sworn in as
ajustice of the U.S. Supreme
Court. As the political environ-
ment continues to endanger
Civil rights and personal free-
dom, I am already missing the
voice Mrs. King brought to the
Dublic conversation. Even as

I mourn her death, I will call
on her inspiration to light the
darkest days and work for the
vision she held so fiercely.

Here are a few more per-
spectives Mrs. King shared
with us at Circles of‘Hope:

“It seems to me'that true

Homeland Security ought to be
more about providing health-
care f0r'every citizen and less
about reshuffling bureaucratic
agencies and undermining our
civil liberties. True Homeland
Security should be about pro-
tection of pension assets for
retired people. Genuine Home-
land Security should also be
about gun control, protecting
Americans against domestic
hate crimes, and getting seri-
ous about reducing the pollu-
tion of our air and water ”

She went on to say:

“Homeland Security should
mean feeding the hungry, hous-
ing the homeless, and making
sure there is quality education

for every child and a job at a
decent wage for everyone who
wants and needs one...and
that’s how we make our coun-

try safe and secure for all
citizens. And so I accept this
Circles of Hope award with a
renewed commitment to ad-
dress these challenges and to
work for a society where all
citizens can live together in
justice, equality and peace.”
“In closing, I just want to
say that I ’m proud to stand
with all of you, as your sis-
ter, in a great new American
coalition for freedom and hu-
man rights. With this faith
and this commitment we will
create the beloved community
of Martin Luther King Jr. is
dream, where all people can
live together in a spirit of
trust and understanding, har-
mony, love and peace. Thank
you and God bless you all.”
Her words reach across

time in a prophetic call to

us all. Thank you, and God
bless you, Mrs. King. V

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