“I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people. … But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.”
The Rev. Keith Ratliff who is the State Conference President of the Iowa/Nebraska NAACP, spoke recently about his opposition to LGBT Human Rights in Iowa. He hides his bigotry and intolerance as his interpretation of the Word of God. He calls marriage equality a battleground and bases his need to vote that marriage being between a man and a woman is a social issue for pro-creation. He further claims that LGBT are hijacking the Civil Rights Movement and that LGBT Human Rights have no parallel and are an insult to the Civil Rights movement.
He claims that “just because we have a different viewpoint based on how we interpret the word of God, doesn’t make us bad people, doesn’t make us haters”. In fact, this is the same argument that Southern Baptists used to propagate slavery in the 1800′s. Southern Baptists cited the Bible and it’s use of slaves to JUSTIFY their right to be a slave holder. It’s an ironic twist the NAACP in Iowa is using the same argument to suppress the Human Rights of others. Institutionalizing hate in a legislative act is NOT an opposition; it’s oppression.
Rev. Keith Ratliff, state conference president of the NAACP for Iowa and Nebraska, accused LGBT people of hijacking the Civil Rights Movement. Ratliff also said that, because of his belief in the Bible, if Rev. Martin Luther King were alive today, he would not have supported marriage equality.
But Rev. Ratliff does not speak for all faith leaders, nor does he speak for other NAACP leaders.
In fact, many of the men and women closest to Rev. King have voiced their strong support for marriage equality, including his beloved wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, an amazing activist in her own right.
“Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union,” she said in an address in 2004. “A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages is a form of gay bashing, and it would do nothing at all to protect traditional marriages.”
The ‘Reverend’ is the spiritual leader of the Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church. I urge you to contact him and share your disagreement that LGBT Human Rights aren’t Civil Rights.
Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church
1552 Maple Street
Des Moines, Iowa, 50316
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