LGBT Institute’s grand opening at Center for Civil and Human Rights

Coretta Scott King (center), at the Human Rights Campaign in 1986, where she spoke of the solidarity between the struggle for civil rights and for gay and lesbian rights. The image is part of a new exhibit at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Photo courtesy of the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights launched the LGBT Institute to ensure the rights of the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexual citizens, particularly in the Southern states where resistance has historically been the strongest.

The museum includes galleries on LGBT issues and connects its history to the civil rights movement. But officials heard from LGBT organizations and individuals who wanted more, and they began planning the new project last fall.

The institute includes a photograph of Coretta Scott King during a 1986 appearance at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in New York, where she affirmed her “solidarity with the gay and lesbian movement.”

The event, hosted by SunTrust, included remarks from the Institute’s Programming Board, and Center for Civil and Human Rights and SunTrust Leaders. Attendees also enjoyed the “Forward Together: A Look at Atlanta’s LGBT History Since Stonewall” exhibit.

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