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| A dozen members of Westboro Baptist Church protested Coretta Scott King’s funeral on Feb. 7, saying her advocacy for gay rights meant she was doomed to hell. (Photo by Dyana Bagby) |
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: Dyana Bagby
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A group of nearly a dozen African-American women, marching in line with thousands of others to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to pay their final respects to Coretta Scott King, broke into song as they passed a small group of anti-gay protesters picketing the civil rights icon’s funeral Feb. 7 in Lithonia.
"Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around, turn me around, turn me around! Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around, I’m gonna keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’, marchin’ down to freedom’s land!" they sang from the popular civil rights anthem, briefly drowning out the catcalls from 12 members of the virulently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas.
The WBC protesters made a name for themselves protesting funerals including slain gay college student Matthew Shepherd and, most recently, soldiers killed in Iraq. Camped out on the grass next to the church’s sign, they held signs claiming King was in hell because she was a "fag enabler" who advocated for gay rights.
"Coretta Scott King hijacked the freedom train, and she has split hell wide open," some shouted as shocked mourners trailed past.
"Children, ask your parents what sodomy is," one WBC picketer yelled at startled toddlers who walked by hand-in-hand with their parents.
A New Birth official stood at the intersection near the church’s campus where the protesters were located, urging mourners not engage the demonstrators in arguments or discussion. Several DeKalb County police officers were also stationed at the scene.
Jesse McNulty, an Atlanta youth and transgender activist known as Sir Jesse of Decatur, stood with another friend to mount a counter-protest as the Feminist Outlawz. They shouted to the WBC group "to take their hate back to Kansas."
Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of WBC pastor and founder Fred Phelps, acknowledged she received death threats from people disgusted with her picket at King’s funeral.
On Feb. 2, the Wisconsin state Senate voted to ban protests within 500 feet of a funeral service. At least seven other states are considering similar legislation, all as a direct result of Westboro Baptist Church’s protests at the funerals of fallen soldiers that church leaders claim died to protect a "fag nation."
King ‘frowned on homophobia’
The funeral for King, who died Jan. 30 at age 78, spanned several hours and included speeches by President George W. Bush and former presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, along with many other dignitaries, activists and celebrities.
But Dr. Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was the first to mention King’s support for gay civil rights, reminding the audience that she "frowned on homophobia."
Poet Maya Angelou, a close friend of King, reiterated that she "cared for gay and straight" people alike, adding that "we owe something so this gathering is not just a footnote in the pages of history."
King spoke out publicly against a proposed federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and was also a vocal supporter of HIV/AIDS awareness.
Her stand on gay marriage put her at odds with one of her daughters, Rev. Bernice King, an elder at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where the funeral service was held. In December 2004, Bernice King and Bishop Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth, led a massive march through Atlanta calling on black churches to be more visible on several social issues, including opposing same-sex marriage.
Some black gay activists questioned the choice of funeral location, including author Keith Boykin, who described it as a "final twist of irony" on his blog.
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