With it having been Martin Luther King Jr. Day in America recently, his significance in history and equality is cemented in relevance even up to today. At a time when discrimination and prejudice were hardened best friends holding hands - working together to stir up divisions, emotions and reactions amongst people, Martin Luther King used his love for people and his Christian faith to unify people and bring about equality. At that time, it was about race and everyone whether male or female, black or white - having equal rights.
Fast forward to 2014 and although racism isn't as bad on a widespread mainstream level (even though there are numerous instances to show it is as rife as it once was - see the recent Mark Duggan case), there are many other issues that don't have the same equality that MLK once fought for. One such issue is the topic of homosexuality.
Homosexuality itself is fighting a lot of battles with religion, law, marriage and human rights. It has been the subject for people in the military being allowed to serve their country and be openly gay. They have had to lie and keep their sexuality hidden from others. There are people wanting to be in a gay marriage and/or marry in church. There are people being killed via the death penalty in certain strict countries for being gay and displaying same-sex affection. It has become the regular victim of anti-gay groups; hate crimes, prejudice and discrimination from all sides, especially religion.
There are the good and bad sides of how homosexuality is seen in the Church. There's the side of God exuding love and equality amongst all and welcoming all who worship/praise His name, and then there's the side of the act being a sin and the whole issue of traditional marriage. It's a constant battle. There are churches where gays are welcomed in and are a part of every aspect of the church - it's a beautiful thing to behold and see, the love for each other and their love for God is everywhere to see. No one is judged and everyone is there to reach God's glory. No politics, no whispering/gossiping behind peoples' backs. One of the feelings could be that this is the vision that God wanted amongst His people and this is what MLK was talking about in his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Homosexuality isn't bad. It's not a sin. Love is a beautiful thing and who wouldn't want the best for two people being in love? There are a lot of heterosexual relationships and families that don't/can't get that, so why should we shun others who crave that for themselves just because they are of the same sex? We can't be selfish hypocrites about it.
But looking back on how things once were, one can now see that there is some positive progression and more tolerance for homosexuality. The attitude towards it has improved in the UK rapidly, and can only get better. The progress that society is making is encouraging and can only be commended. This can be attributed to all of the wonderful achievements that certain organisations and groups of people have done to improve the lives of homosexuals and the public's view of them.
Having been inspired after seeing the prejudice displayed by Russia against gay athletes at the Winter Olympics, myself and Spoken Word/Hip-Hop Artist E.S.T wanted to use our combined talents positively and decided to collaborate together on a track talking about the issue of homosexuality and the discrimination within. This track is called "One Love".