Coretta Scott King

=== LGBT equality ===
In August 1983, in Washington, D. C., she urged amendment of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] to include gays and lesbians as a [[Protected group#United States|protected class]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncblgfounders.org/founders-associates-notes/2011/10/29/1983-coretta-scott-king-endorses-national-gay-and-lesbian-ci.html |title=1983, Coretta Scott King Endorses National Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Legislation – Founders Notes |publisher=NCBLG Founders |date=October 29, 2011 |access-date=May 13, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818163007/http://www.ncblgfounders.org/founders-associates-notes/2011/10/29/1983-coretta-scott-king-endorses-national-gay-and-lesbian-ci.html|archive-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref>

In response to the Supreme Court's 1986 decision in ''[[Bowers v. Hardwick]]'' that there was no constitutional right to engage in consensual sodomy, King's long-time friend, Winston Johnson of Atlanta, came out to her and was instrumental in arranging King as the featured speaker at the September 27, 1986, New York Gala of the [[Human Rights Campaign|Human Rights Campaign Fund]]. As reported in the ''[[New York Native]]'', King stated that she was there to express her solidarity with the gay and lesbian movement. She applauded gays as having "always been a part of the civil rights movement".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-g-long/coretta-scott-king_b_2592049.html |title=Coretta's Big Dream: Coretta Scott King on Gay Rights &#124; Michael G. Long |website=The Huffington Post |date=January 31, 2013 |access-date=May 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419013941/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-g-long/coretta-scott-king_b_2592049.html |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 1, 1998, at the [[The Palmer House Hilton|Palmer House Hilton]] in [[Chicago]], King called on the civil rights community to join in the struggle against [[homophobia]] and anti-gay bias. "Homophobia is like racism and [[anti-Semitism]] and other forms of [[bigotry]] in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood", she stated.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQpKJRlgnrAC&q=Homophobia+is+like+racism+and+anti-Semitism+and+other+forms+of+bigotry+in+that+it+seeks+to+dehumanize+a+large+group+of+people,+to+deny+their+humanity,&pg=PA117 |title=Coretta Scott King: Civil Rights Activist – Dale Evva Gelfand, Lisa Renee Rhodes – Google Books |isbn=9781438100777 |access-date=May 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019043605/https://books.google.com/books?id=VQpKJRlgnrAC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=Homophobia+is+like+racism+and+anti-Semitism+and+other+forms+of+bigotry+in+that+it+seeks+to+dehumanize+a+large+group+of+people,+to+deny+their+humanity,&source=bl&ots=3sxG1tZe87&sig=V8YzDekRnWSy5i0au5D7DgVWus8&hl=en&ei=yZHZTp6sDena0QGA-53TDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Homophobia%20is%20like%20racism%20and%20anti-Semitism%20and%20other%20forms%20of%20bigotry%20in%20that%20it%20seeks%20to%20dehumanize%20a%20large%20group%20of%20people%2C%20to%20deny%20their%20humanity%2C&f=false |archive-date=October 19, 2015 |url-status=live |last1=Gelfand |first1=Dale Evva |last2=Rhodes |first2=Lisa Renee |year=2009 |publisher=Infobase }}</ref> "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next [[minority group]]."

On March 31, 1998, at the 25th anniversary luncheon for the [[Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund]], King said: "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people, and I should stick to the issue of racial justice.&nbsp;... But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King, Jr., said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'&nbsp;... 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."<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Merritt | first=James Edward Jr. |date=2011 |title=For all God's people: Diverse people of faith for ecumenical witness and public policy |type=PhD |location=Cambridge, MA |publisher=Episcopal Divinity School |page=73 |id=ark:/13960/t8pc4jf1f |url=https://archive.org/stream/forallgodspeople00merr#page/n161/mode/2up/search/brotherhood+and+sisterhood+for+lesbian |access-date=January 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802070647/https://archive.org/stream/forallgodspeople00merr#page/n161/mode/2up/search/brotherhood+and+sisterhood+for+lesbian |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 1, 1998 |title=Those Who Lived the Struggle to End Segregation Now Speak Out for Same-Gender Marriage Equality |publisher=[[Soulforce]] |url=http://www.archives.soulforce.org/1998/01/01/those-who-lived-the-struggle-to-end-segregation-now-speak-out-for-same-gender-marriage-equality/ |access-date=January 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125074521/http://www.archives.soulforce.org/1998/01/01/those-who-lived-the-struggle-to-end-segregation-now-speak-out-for-same-gender-marriage-equality/ |archive-date=January 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 1999 |title=1998 in Review |magazine=[[Out (magazine)|Out]] |issn=1062-7928 |page=26 |volume=7 |number=7  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2IEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22brotherhood+and+sisterhood+for+lesbian%22&pg=PA26 |access-date=January 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729182308/https://books.google.com/books?id=L2IEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26#q=%22brotherhood%20and%20sisterhood%20for%20lesbian%22 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> On November 9, 2000, she repeated similar remarks at the opening plenary session of the 13th annual [[Creating Change Conference]], organized by the [[National Gay and Lesbian Task Force]]<!--in Atlanta-->.<ref>{{cite web |title=Remarks by Coretta Scott King at Creating Change in 2000 |publisher=Michigan State University Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Resource Center |url=http://lbgtrc.msu.edu/docs/csk-ngltfcc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827203527/http://lbgtrc.msu.edu/docs/csk-ngltfcc.htm |archive-date=August 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Vivian | first=O.B. | title=Coretta: The Story of Coretta Scott King | publisher=Fortress Press | year=2006 | isbn=978-1-4514-1534-6 | url=https://archive.org/details/corettastoryofco0000vivi | url-access=registration | page=[https://archive.org/details/corettastoryofco0000vivi/page/122 122] | access-date=March 3, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802070348/https://archive.org/details/corettastoryofco0000vivi | archive-date=August 2, 2020 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 19, 2000 |title=Rants & raves |magazine=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |issn=0001-8996 |page=10 |publisher=Here Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22MEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22brotherhood+and+sisterhood+for+lesbian%22&pg=PA10 |access-date=January 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729172203/https://books.google.com/books?id=22MEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10#q=%22brotherhood%20and%20sisterhood%20for%20lesbian%22 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Blumenfeld | first=Warren | date=January 20, 2015 | title=Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, "Inescapable Network of Mutuality" | website=[[Tikkun Daily]] | url=http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2015/01/20/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-inescapable-network-of-mutuality/ | access-date=January 24, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015807/http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2015/01/20/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-inescapable-network-of-mutuality/ | archive-date=January 25, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2003, she invited the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to take part in observances of the 40th anniversary of the [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom|March on Washington]] and Martin Luther King's ''[[I Have a Dream]]'' speech. It was the first time that an LGBT rights group had been invited to a major event of the African-American community.<ref>{{cite web|title=King, Coretta Scott|url=http://www.alabamamusicoffice.com/joomla/artists-a-z/k/1196-king-coretta-scott.html|publisher=Alabama Music Office|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708034156/http://www.alabamamusicoffice.com/joomla/artists-a-z/k/1196-king-coretta-scott.html|archive-date=July 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Her funeral was conducted by [[Eddie Long|Bishop Eddie Long]], which has been criticized by then-NAACP chairman [[Julian Bond]] who refused to attend it, stating that he "just couldn't imagine that she'd want to be in that church with a minister who was a raving homophobe".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-05-04|title=BV Q&A; With Julian Bond - AOL Black Voices|url=http://www.blackvoices.com/black_news/canvas_directory_headlines_features/_a/bv-qanda-with-julian-bond/20060908115409990002|access-date=2021-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504063629/http://www.blackvoices.com/black_news/canvas_directory_headlines_features/_a/bv-qanda-with-julian-bond/20060908115409990002|archive-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref>