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"I've seen people share a photo of a MLK statue with the caption "Martin Luther King was against gay marriage should we take down his statue?" For some reason it's disproportionately annoyed me so I need to spell out why it's a stupid question.
Like I say, you people don't need to hear this I just have an abiding urge to say it.
MLK's life's work was for justice. He fought with every fiber of his being to right a world historic injustice knowing that he may well pay with his life - which he sadly did - but his contribution advanced his cause and allowed society to take real steps towards becoming a civilisation.
The life's work of various Confederate generals whose statues are under threat was to defend and extend slavery. They were willing to see millions die to keep millions in horrific conditions. Unlike MLK they lost and their legacy of hate is ashes.
People aren't advocating taking down those statues because they once said something they didn't like but because those statues glorify the worst aspects of a horrific chapter in American history. You can still read about them in books and fly their rancid flag if you like, but if we're giving out honours it should be to people like Tubman, Douglas, Brown and many, many others not those who literally fought for the right to enslave people.
I'm sure MLK said and did many things in his life that we could criticise (although at the time he died who *was* in favour of gay marriage? Almost nobody. There were no campaigns for it, no campaigns against it, no one thought really about it. It's hardly a surprise that a committed Christian in the 60's didn't share 100% the sensitivities of 21st century liberals). It's a non-issue. MLK is not celebrated because he was a saint but because he was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things.
He made the world a better place than when he found it. Confederate generals were murderers for an evil cause. No one cares about a tight textual analysis of their opinions - it's what they did in life that means we should remember them but never, ever honour them. Taking down their statues seems fine to me - drawing a moral equivalence between them and MLK? Well that just seems laughable." — Jim Jepps
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