LG BTQ R E L AT I O N S H I P S W I T H G O D
Angel of Mercy Ruth Coker Burks defied convention and defined the meaning of ally and advocate for the LGBTQ community on behalf of gay men dying from AIDS since the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. BY REV. CATHERINE DEARLOVE
R
uth Coker Burks had a friend and that friend was Jesus. It was that friend who helped her to be a friend and mother to those who were dying from AIDS complications in the 1980’s/1990’s. From an early age Coker Burks knew what it was to be alone and disenfranchised. Her way of dealing with that was her equivalent of an imaginary friend – Jesus.
PHOTO BY NEIL BENNINGTON AT BROADWAY SINGS FOR PRIDE
RELIGION
