Alabama judge: Selma anniversary a moment to support gay rights

Vanzetta Penn McPherson, a retired U.S. magistrate judge in Alabama, wrote that African Americans should "should never lend their voices to the chorus of hatred of gay people."

McPherson's piece in the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper focused on the anniversary of the Selma-Montgomery marches as a chance to join with supporters of gay rights.

More from the Advertiser:

Who are African-Americans to lay exclusive claim to civil rights? Who are we to quarantine the right to fair and equal treatment in our own little social abodes? Who anointed us as sole custodians of human dignity and self-worth? These questions arise not from any doubts about our entitlement to the fullness of the American Dream. Instead, they arise from our contribution to the nightmare faced by other groups seeking their places alongside us in the struggle, specifically gay Americans and immigrants.

McPherson joined MPR News' Kerri Miller to talk about the column.