Destiny members perform on the Lincoln Memorial steps Destiny Church members performing at the Martin Luther King commemoration event in Washington yesterday struck a discordant note on gay equality, jarring with the theme of the day. Destiny, which remained silent during the public and political debate on Marriage Equality earlier this year, sent twelve members of a haka group to the event, centred on the Lincoln Memorial. The group performed on the steps of the Memorial, where King gave his resounding "I have a dream... " speech inn 1963. Speeches were later made at the same spot by President Barack Obama and former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, all of whom support gay marriage. President Obama and other speakers specifically invoked gay rights as part of the larger civil-rights movement. Richard Lewis, spokesman and manager for the Destiny Church haka group, said it remained the position of Destiny “that we do not support gay marriage from the Biblical standpoint, but we believe people are free to make what lifestyle choices they please.” The haka took place right after a speech by Alan van Capelle, a gay-rights activist who runs Bend the Arc, a Jewish social-welfare organization, and just before appearances by the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a close aide to Dr. King, and Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 29th August 2013 - 10:01pm