Two articles help discuss why Barack Obama's incredibly insensitive selection of anti-gay evangelical pastor, Rick Warren, to give the invocation at the inauguration on January 20, 2009, does indeed matter. The first is a post by Jeremy Hooper at Good As You -I met Jeremy at the Blogger Summit - that sums up why Obama's selection of Warren is unacceptable. Here are some highlights: *
For us this choice highlights how lacking in understanding even our supposed Democratic allies are when it comes to the personal nature of anti-gay actions and rhetoric. For so many of our would-be, could-be, should-be supporters, gay matters are just political issues that they can think about, debate on, campaign with, and then put out of their minds when such is more expedient to their lives or careers. If they want to be seen as bridge-builders, they can earn brownie points by reaching out to those who have wronged LGBT people in one way or another. After all, why should they care? Where the hell are the majority of LGBT people gonna run off to in this two-party system that we call American government? To the party that still makes "smear the queer" part of its platform? No, not in mass numbers they won't. And since the Dem leaders know this, too many of them are too willing to sell us out too often. Principled stands be damned.
*
So back to Warren: Here we have a dude who campaigned fervently for Proposition 8, saying many offensive things about gays being outside of God's vision for marriage. He also bore false socially conservative witness by using tired lines about CIVIL marriage equality threatening RELIGIOUS pastors' free speech. Then there are the aforementioned links to incest/polygamy/pedophilia that Pastor Warren was quite willing, even eager to affirm in a recent BeliefNet interview. And if that weren't enough, this is a theologian who cites "tone" as the only difference between himself and Dr. James Dobson.
*
For those of us who live, breathe, laugh, and love within LGBT bodies and souls, these sorts of things are not simple points on partisan politic playing field. For us, these are targeted bits of bigotry that cut us to the core! They are they cruel ideas that rob us of sleep. They are the dangerous teachings that keep gay kids scared, depressed, and vulnerable. They are daggers that wound us in ways we could never fully put into words. But yet out of all the religious folks he could have embraced, Barack Obama, a candidate who filled so many of us with hope, has chosen this man to send forth word on his life's most important day?
*
Joe Solmonese likewise has a column in the Washington Post that takes Obama to task for his selection of Warren. Like Jeremy, Solmonese is at a loss as to how Obama could not realize the message sent to the LGBT community by picking someone as rabidly anti-gay as Warren. In fact, the selection implies that perhaps Obama doesn't even care. Here are some highlights:
*
He [Warren] was a general in the campaign to pass California's Proposition 8, which dissolved the legal marriage rights of loving, committed same-sex couples. For that reason, inviting Warren to set the tone at the dawn of this new presidency sends a chilling message to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. It makes us uncertain about this exciting, young president-elect who has said repeatedly that we are part of his America, too.
*
More recently, he [Warren] even compared same-sex marriage to incest, pedophilia and polygamy. He may cloak himself in media-friendly happy talk that plays well on television, but he stands steadfastly against any measure of equality for LGBT Americans.
*
So, are we angry about Rick Warren? You bet we are. And including a gay marching band in the inaugural festivities doesn't heal this wound. It only serves to make us question the promises that Barack Obama made in his historic quest to be president. We pray we weren't misled.
No comments:
Post a Comment