Synopses & Reviews
Martin Luther King, Jr., was not an advocate of homosexual rights, but that has not prevented many gay rights proponents, including Coretta Scott King, from claiming him as an ally in their various campaigns. Dr. King was not an enemy of homosexual rights, either, but that has not discouraged many gay rights opponents, including his sole surviving daughter Bernice King, from touting the famed civil rights leader as one of their own. This fascinating situation - a familial, and wider, conflict over the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., in relation to gay rights - poses the problem that this book seeks to address and resolve. Michael G. Long looks to uncover and understand King's thought and actions in relation to homosexuality and gay rights, thereby assessing the use of his legacy in debates about these issues.
Review
Review
"It is time for us to dream anew—to return to the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. and imagine a world that can be so much better than it is now. A world of peace, a world of justice, a world of love without discrimination—this is the dream of Martin Luther King Jr.' - From the afterword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
"Michael G. Long's Martin Luther King Jr., Homosexuality, and the Early Gay Rights Movement is a must read for anyone who lives at the intersections of race, religion, and LGBT issues today. Carefully researched and thoughtfully argued, this book allows Martin Luther King Jr.'s own words about homosexuality—and his actions towards his openly gay colleague Bayard Rustin—to speak for themselves, while at the same time imagining how King's personalist philosophy might transcend the limitations of his own social context. A valuable resource for current debates over marriage equality and LGBT civil rights." - Patrick S. Cheng, associate professor, Historical and Systematic Theology, Episcopal Divinity School
"For too long Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy has been uncritically co-opted by groups on both sides of the GLBT issue. Based solely on what is known to this point in King studies this seminal, powerfully provocative, gripping, courageous, superbly written and instructive book by Michael G. Long clears the fog regarding what King thought about homosexuality and gay rights. Those who presume to appropriate King's legacy in favor of or against homosexuality and gay rights can now know for the first time what he actually said, and what they can reasonably claim in support of their stance. An absolute must read for persons interested in the truth of the matter, rather than guess work and speculation." - Rufus Burrow, Jr., author of God and Human Dignity: The Personalism, Theology, and Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr."Long has an enviable knack for discovering new angles from which to assess the significance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, message, and legacy. In this bold and provocative book, he explores King's ideas and actions in relation to homosexuality and gay rights. A distinctive and original contribution to the field of King studies." - Lewis V. Baldwin, author of The Voice of Conscience: The Church in the Mind of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Synopsis
Martin Luther King, Jr., was not an advocate of homosexual rights, nor was he an enemy; however both sides of the debate have used his words in their arguments, including his widow, in support of gay rights, and his daughter, in rejection. This fascinating situation poses the problem that Michael G. Long seeks to address and resolve.
Synopsis
Martin Luther King Jr. was neither an advocate for nor an enemy of gay rights, but this has not stopped both sides of the debate from using his words in their arguments. His widow, Coretta Scot King, cited them in her campaign for gay rights, while his daughter Bernice appealed to them in her public rejection of same-sex marriage. This fascinating situation—a familial and wider conflict over the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in relation to gay rights—poses the problem that Michael G. Long addresses in this groundbreaking volume.
About the Author
Michael G. Long is an associate professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies at Elizabethtown College and is the author or editor of several books on civil rights, religion, and politics in mid-century America, including I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters; Marshalling Justice: The Early Civil Rights Letters of Thurgood Marshall; First Class Citizenship: The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson; and Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: America's Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. He holds a PhD from Emory University.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Keeping the Dream Straight?PART ONE: KINGS IN CONFLICT'It's Consistent with His Philosophy': Coretta Scott King's Advocacy for Gay Rights 'He Did Not Take a Bullet for Same-Sex Unions': Bernice King's March Against Same-Sex MarriagePART TWO: KING IN CONTEXT'Your Problem Is Not At All an Uncommon One': King, Psychiatrists, and the Problem of Homosexuality'I Am Fundamentally a Clergyman': King, Theologians, and the Sin of Homosexuality'He Praised Him for His Ability and Contacts': King's Relationship with Bayard RustinPART THREE: CIVIL RIGHTS AND GAY RIGHTSFrom Black to Gay: King's Concern about Discrimination Against GaysFrom King to Kameny—and Coretta: A Final ConclusionAfterword: Archbishop Desmond Tutu