December 17, 2008, 7:27 pm
Gay Activists Decry Pastor’s Role in Swearing-InBy Sarah Wheaton
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The Rev. Rick Warren, a conservative evangelical pastor, has been tapped to deliver the invocation at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration – and gay rights advocates are not happy about it.
The Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced today that Mr. Warren, of Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif., and author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” would lead the opening prayers at the swearing-in ceremony. Though he is a prominent figure among religious conservatives, Mr. Warren invited Mr. Obama to speak at an 2006 AIDS summit he held at his mega-church, over the objection of abortion foes. Now, Mr. Obama is facing sharp criticism from part of his base for inviting Mr. Warren.
“Let me get right to the point. Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans,” wrote Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, in a letter to Mr. Obama today.
“And by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table,” Mr. Solomonese continued, adding that Mr. Warren had spoken out strongly in favor of a successful gay marriage ban in California and “has often played the role of general in the cultural war waged against LGBT Americans.”
“This tone-deafness to our concerns must not be tolerate,” wrote Kevin Naff, editor of The Washington Blade, a gay-centered publication in the nation’s capital.
Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Mr. Obama’s presidential inaugural committee, said the upcoming ceremony would be the “most open and accessible” inauguration in history and defended the inclusion of Mr. Warren.
“Clearly, the president-elect disagrees with him on issues involving the LGBT community,” she said. But Mr. Obama has consistently stressed the need to “seek common ground with people with whom we disagree fundamentally.”
Ms. Douglass noted that the benediction, or closing prayers, would be offered by the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a civil rights icon who has expressed support for gay marriage, and that the Lesbian and Gay Band Association would march in the inaugural parade, the first time such a group would do so.
A message left after hours at the office of Larry Ross, Saddleback Church’s media director, was not immediately returned.
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Link:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/gay-activists-decry-pastors-role-in-swearing-in/:shrug:
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