Huff Post Live Tackles Gay Rights As Civil Rights (VIDEO)

In his inaugural address, President Obama discussed the civil rights movement and the fight for gay equality leading many to compare the journeys of the two movements. Shortly after, John McWhorter, author, linguist, and professor of Linguistics at Columbia University wrote an op-ed in the New York Daily News titled "Gay Really Is The New Black."

The widely read article has received praise and criticism as McWhorter suggests that the black community should help the fight for LGBT equality.

"Too many black Americans have little more interest in keeping the ladder out for gay people than early feminists had in doing the same for black people," McWhorter wrote. "As a consequence of its painful heritage, black America has a special responsibility: to be further ahead of the curve than whites on accepting gay people as full citizens."

Does this mean all minority or disenfranchised Americans have a right to support all other groups fighting for equality, and is it really appropriate to compare them?

For more comparison on the civil rights and gay rights movements, watch the video below and then tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Watch the full discussion on gay and civil rights at Huffpost Live.