Gays Lose Advocate With Death of Mrs. King

Jasmyne Cannick, a commentator and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, was chosen by ESSENCE Magazine as one of 25 Women Shaping the World. She can be reached via her Web site at http://www.jasmynecannick.com.
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LOS ANGELES--On more than one occasion, Mrs. Coretta Scott King reaffirmed her belief publicly that civil rights for gays was a human right and that, in keeping with her husband's legacy, she believed that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Now with her death, there is fear among gay rights advocates that those in her family who oppose civil rights for gays will exploit the King name and legacy to spread anti-gay messages -- and it may already be happening.

Services for Mrs. King will not be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her husband once preached, but at mega-church pastor Bishop Eddie Long's 10,000-seat New Birth Baptist Missionary Church.

Long is one of several black pastors who met at the White House as part of the Republican effort to boost black support for the GOP during the 2004 presidential election. Long is an outspoken critic of gays and an opponent of same-sex marriage. He is a mentor to King's youngest daughter Bernice.

News of the plan sent shockwaves through the gay community, which views the choice as inappropriate, given that Mrs. King's values were diametrically opposite to Long's.

As recently as last year, Long joined other black pastors in calling for a constitutional amendment to "protect the institution of marriage."

According to Long, "In Christ, God puts his seed in us. Any other way is a spiritual abortion. Cloning, homosexuality and lesbianism are spiritual abortions. Homosexuality is a manifestation of the fallen man."

But Mrs. King felt differently.

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