Reverend Eric P. Lee Threatened With Firing over Same-Sex Marriage Endorsement.
It’s a shame when advocating the advancement of civil rights can threaten your job with a civil rights group. But that is the case with Reverend Eric P. Lee whose job is on the line over his stance on same-sex marriage.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights group partly founded by Martin Luther King Jr., has threatened to fire the president of its Los Angeles chapter because he supports same-sex marriage.The Rev. Eric P. Lee, president of the local SCLC chapter for two years, became an outspoken advocate of same-sex marriage during the recent campaign against Proposition 8, an amendment to the state Constitution that banned such unions.
The SCLC national board notified Lee on May 27 that he would have to attend a hearing at its Atlanta headquarters on June 4 to explain his stance on same-sex marriage. If he did not show up, they said, they would suspend and fire him.
Lee did not attend the hearing. He told the board he could not afford the last-minute trip but could participate via conference call. He said he never heard back from the board.
When Lee failed to appear for the hearing, he received an e-mail warning him to set a date to appear or face removal.
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Lee maintained a high profile in the Proposition 8 fight. He wrote articles in favor of same-sex marriage and self-published a book, “Marriage Equality: Proposition 8 The California Divide.” He also appeared at public demonstrations.
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“Any time one group of people are denied the same rights as other people, it is unequivocally a denial of civil rights,” Lee said.
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Lee said he is not waiting for approval to continue his advocacy for same-sex marriage.
“I’m not going to let their inaction handcuff me from fighting for justice,” he said.
I have already sent Reverend Lee a message of thanks and support, and I invite all others so inclined to do the same. While he may not win this immediate fight he’s on the right side of history and will ultimately win the battle.
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