King March Draws Thousands, Protesters

[GateandGarden]

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041211/APA/412110927&cachetime=3&template=dateline

A march that brought thousands of people Saturday to the grave site of Martin Luther King Jr. also drew a few dozen protesters who claimed organizers were hijacking the slain civil rights leader's legacy to promote an anti-gay marriage agenda.

The march's organizer, Bishop Eddie Long, said his followers "did not come in a march of hatred."

The first goal of the march listed on his church's Web site is to promote a constitutional amendment to protect marriage "between one man and one woman." Other goals were promoting education reform, affordable health care and programs that create wealth for minorities.

"We are not marching against folk, we are marching for folk," Long said at a rally after the march.

The march began after King's daughter, Bernice, lit a torch at her father's grave and passed it on to Long, who carried it on the two-mile march through the city. Bernice King is an elder in Long's predominantly black 25,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church outside Atlanta.

Police did not immediately provide a crowd estimate, but New Birth spokesman Erik Burton said at least 15,000 people attended the march.

About 50 protesters gathered at the event carrying signs that read "Don't Hijack Dr. King's Dream" and "All Forms of Bigotry are Equally Wrong."

"He has built this march on the legacy of Dr. King, and those of us who understand Dr. King's legacy also understand Dr. King would never support any type of activity that would prohibit the rights of any people," said the Rev. Antonio Jones of Atlanta's Unity Fellowship Church.

Long has called for a national ban on gay marriage, and his church counsels gay members to abandon their lifestyle.

King's widow, Coretta Scott King, has called gay marriage a civil rights issue and denounced proposed amendments to ban it.

_________________________________________________________________

I just wanted to post this because I think it's a tragedy that an anti-gay march would start at Martin Luther King Jr.'s grave. :distress: I don't know what's wrong with his daugther.

Hillary

[estranged4life]

I just wanted to post this because I think it's a tragedy that an anti-gay march would start at Martin Luther King Jr.'s grave. :distress: I don't know what's wrong with his daugther.

Hillary

the typical BS his family members have been pulling nowadays...I really like MLK, Cant say the same about his family members & their motives nowadays.

Brian j.

[amber]

At least his wife opposes a gay marriage ban. The rest are full of sh**.

[Livia]

Oh, puhleeez! Don't these close-minded idiots have anything better to do??

[GateandGarden]

At least his wife opposes a gay marriage ban. The rest are full of sh**.Yeah. :thumbsup: I was really happy when she came out in support of gay rights. I'm convinced that MLK would have said the same thing.

Hillary

[amber]

Yeah. :thumbsup: I was really happy when she came out in support of gay rights. I'm convinced that MLK would have said the same thing.

Hillary
And if he didn't, then his logical credibility for all his other beliefs would have been shot to heck. I hope he would've but i wonder if he would've struggled, since he was a minister... :confused: Unfortunately, we'll never know. Has anyone heard Jesse Jackson have an opinon on this? He must, i just haven't heard it.

[GateandGarden]

And if he didn't, then his logical credibility for all his other beliefs would have been shot to heck. I hope he would've but i wonder if he would've struggled, since he was a minister... :confused: Unfortunately, we'll never know. Has anyone heard Jesse Jackson have an opinon on this? He must, i just haven't heard it.I've come to really despise Jesse Jackson after reading some of his comments about the gay rights movement. He said that gay rights are not civil rights. He's mainly pissed that the struggle for gay rights has been compared to the struggle for African-American rights. He says there is no comparison. He likes to point out that gays were never considered 3/5 of a person. That is a good point, but I do not think that should downplay what gays have endured as well. To my knowledge, the DSM-IV never said that blacks were mentally ill merely because they were black. Both minorities have suffered, and I think we need to stick together, but Jackson has no interest in that.

And I would never compare my plight to that of a slave! I don't know any gays who have done that.

Here's a PlanetOut article about Jackson's stance--
http://www.planetout.com/news/article-print.html?2004/02/17/6

I hate how he says that he does support some rights for gays, such as their "right of choice to choose their own partners." Wow! That's great! So, when I finally get around to dating, I have Rev. Jesse Jackson's approval. I can officially date who I want. Fantastic. :rolleyes:

As for Martin Luther King, Jr., I know he was a minister, but I really think he would've understood gay rights. I think he would have been one of the particularly enlightened religious leaders who not read the Bible as condemning of homosexuality.

Hillary

[GateandGarden]

Jesse Jackson: Gay marriage rights are not civil rights

In Massachusetts, the state that's served as one of the main battlegrounds over same-sex marriage, the Rev. Jesse Jackson declared Monday that the fight of gays and lesbians wanting to marry should not be compared to the fight African Americans faced for civil rights.

"The comparison with slavery is a stretch in that some slave masters were gay, in that gays were never called three-fifths human in the Constitution and in that they did not require the Voting Rights Act to have the right to vote," Jackson remarked in an address at Harvard Law School.

Later, in an appearance at Holy Cross Church in Worcester, Jackson made sure others knew that he did support some rights for same-sex couples, noting "Gays deserve the right of choice to choose their own partners."

"If you don't agree, don't participate and don't perform the service," he said, according to the Associated Press.

But Jackson reiterated his support for the heterosexual definition of marriage, saying, "In my culture, marriage is a man-woman relationship."

Jackson's comments stood in sharp contrast to those of state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, who sat next to him during his Harvard appearance.

Wilkerson shed tears before the Legislature's constitutional convention last week, as she shared her experiences growing up black in Arkansas, where her mother was not allowed to give birth in the public hospital.

"I know the pain of being less than equal, and I cannot and will not impose that status on anyone else," Wilkerson said, explaining why she would not support an amendment banning same-sex marriages. "I was but one generation removed from an existence in slavery. I could not in good conscience ever vote to send anyone to that place from which my family fled."

Jasmyne Cannick, board member of the National Black Justice Coalition, a group dedicated to educating the African-American community about gay and lesbian issues, said the tension between the gay rights movement and the civil rights movement frustrates her as someone who is both African American and a lesbian.

"The biggest problem I find is that many black people don't support the gay and lesbian civil rights movement because they don't see black people as gay. And I think a lot of that comes from what they see on television because there are one or two characters who are both black and gay."

"Both the civil rights movement and the gay movement, share a common denominator and that's prejudice," Cannick explained to the Gay.com/PlanetOut.com Network.

"Even if one group faces that prejudice over the color of their skin and the other faces prejudice over their sexual orientation, both groups should understand that they share a lot since they're both fighting prejudice."

[estranged4life]

He likes to point out that gays were never considered 3/5 of a person.

Hillary

Man, Jesse must've been licking the residue outta a crackpipe for that stupid ass comment.

Hey Jesse, You're 3/5 ass-tard...and 2/5 utter f*cktard, Why dont ya go spend so more Rainbow Coalition funds to quiet the hoes ya knock up!!!

Brian "Jesse Jackson-Jealous that MLK was a much better human being" j.

[amber]

I've come to really despise Jesse Jackson after reading some of his comments about the gay rights movement. He said that gay rights are not civil rights. He's mainly pissed that the struggle for gay rights has been compared to the struggle for African-American rights. He says there is no comparison. He likes to point out that gays were never considered 3/5 of a person. That is a good point, but I do not think that should downplay what gays have endured as well. To my knowledge, the DSM-IV never said that blacks were mentally ill merely because they were black. Both minorities have suffered, and I think we need to stick together, but Jackson has no interest in that.

And I would never compare my plight to that of a slave! I don't know any gays who have done that.

Here's a PlanetOut article about Jackson's stance--
http://www.planetout.com/news/article-print.html?2004/02/17/6

I hate how he says that he does support some rights for gays, such as their "right of choice to choose their own partners." Wow! That's great! So, when I finally get around to dating, I have Rev. Jesse Jackson's approval. I can officially date who I want. Fantastic. :rolleyes:

As for Martin Luther King, Jr., I know he was a minister, but I really think he would've understood gay rights. I think he would have been one of the particularly enlightened religious leaders who not read the Bible as condemning of homosexuality.

Hillary
THanks for posting the article. very interesting. It's a huge detriment to the black community that many don't accept being gay. There are a lot of problems with men being married but going out on the side to get what they really want. :( Too bad Mr. Jackson's "culture" doesn't accept that marriage is not just between a man and a woman. He could do some good in this area, if he came out on the positive side of this.

[GateandGarden]

Man, Jesse must've been licking the residue outta a crackpipe for that stupid ass comment.

Hey Jesse, You're 3/5 ass-tard...and 2/5 utter f*cktard, Why dont ya go spend so more Rainbow Coalition funds to quiet the hoes ya knock up!!!

Brian "Jesse Jackson-Jealous that MLK was a much better human being" j.:laugh: :lol: :laugh: Thanks for that, Brian. It really cracked me up! Love your nickname in quotations there.

Hillary

[SuzeQuze]

Man, Jesse must've been licking the residue outta a crackpipe for that stupid ass comment.

Hey Jesse, You're 3/5 ass-tard...and 2/5 utter f*cktard, Why dont ya go spend so more Rainbow Coalition funds to quiet the hoes ya knock up!!!

Brian "Jesse Jackson-Jealous that MLK was a much better human being" j.

Okay, this is JJ being dumb. Just because you cannot equate being black with being gay, that does not mean that gays do not deserve civil rights. Civil rights are for all, <b>ALL, DO YOU HEAR ME!!!</b> An apple is not an orange, and an orange is not an apple, but the apple is never going to say, "That orange ain't no fruit." Okay, I'm losing it...

[GateandGarden]

THanks for posting the article. very interesting. It's a huge detriment to the black community that many don't accept being gay. There are a lot of problems with men being married but going out on the side to get what they really want. :( Too bad Mr. Jackson's "culture" doesn't accept that marriage is not just between a man and a woman. He could do some good in this area, if he came out on the positive side of this.Yeah, he's in a position to influence a lot of people on this subject, but he chooses to be a bigot. He chose to be a bigot, but I didn't choose to be gay! Okay, I admit that I'm getting carried away. It's just that you'd think he'd at least think about all the blacks out there who are in committed gay and lesbian relationships. They don't matter to him either? Dumbass.

Hillary

[GateandGarden]

An apple is not an orange, and an orange is not an apple, but the apple is never going to say, "That orange ain't no fruit." Okay, I'm losing it...No, you're not losing it--I like your analogy there, Suze.

Hillary

[estranged4life]

Okay, this is JJ being dumb. Just because you cannot equate being black with being gay, that does not mean that gays do not deserve civil rights. Civil rights are for all, <b>ALL, DO YOU HEAR ME!!!</b> An apple is not an orange, and an orange is not an apple, but the apple is never going to say, "That orange ain't no fruit." Okay, I'm losing it...

oh God no!!! Not the dreaded subliminal "Christmas" fruit basket as a gift in a thread routine Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

Brian "Prefer Granny Smith apples, Kiwi & White grapes" j.

[SuzeQuze]

No, you're not losing it--I like your analogy there, Suze.

Hillary


Hehe, thanks, it's my delivery that went downhill. Yes 'stranged, I expect a basket!!! Okay not really :p :lol:

[amber]

oh God no!!! Not the dreaded subliminal "Christmas" fruit basket as a gift in a thread routine Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

Brian "Prefer Granny Smith apples, Kiwi & White grapes" j.
:laugh: :lol: :laugh:
Amber "cheese basket with wine and crackers" G.

[Johnny Stew]

I just don't understand...Isn't the bottom line love? Why so vehemently protest and try to keep people from loving each other? :distress:

Unfortunately, Justin, the problem is that with heterosexuality, the idea of "sex" can be glossed over by religious groups, etc. Men and women date and marry and have children... but no one has to dwell on the fact that they're actually having SEX. It's easily ignored, and they can instead focus on the love angle.

But if the equation involves two women or two men, minds instantly wander to thoughts of physical sex... who does what and to whom and how.
Some people just don't seem capable of separating homosexuality from sex, and it unsettles them. In the process, their minds never grasp the concept of LOVE when it doesn't involve a heterosexual couple.

The countries that are most progressive when it comes to gay rights issues, also tend to be the countries which are the least uptight where sex and sexuality is concerned.