December 19, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama
Presidential Transition Office
Washington, DC 20270
Dear President-elect Obama:
The gay and lesbian community, our millions of friends and all other fair minded Americans are extremely hurt and angry with your choice of Reverend Rick Warren to give the invocation at your Inauguration next month.
In an interview just 4 days ago, Reverend Warren compared gay marriage to legitimizing incest, child abuse, and polygamy. He said:
I'm opposed to redefinition of a 5,000 year definition of marriage. I'm opposed to having a brother and sister being together and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage." -- Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church, December 15, 2008
How can he talk about loving same-sex couples who wish to marry like everyone else in this cruel way? This guy is a bigot, plain and simple. He has a long history of saying mean and hateful things to so many Americans with whom he does not agree, and he seems an odd fit into your celebration as you assume the Presidency of the United States.
So today we are asking you to drop Rick Warren from delivering the invocation at your swearing in ceremony.
We will be launching a new web site www.DropRickWarren.com to ask others to join in our effort to help persuade you to choose another man or woman to take this place of honor at your historic Inauguration.
We hope that you will drop Reverend Warren soon, and instead pick one of the thousands of religious leaders who don't offend the gay and lesbian community and so many other Americans. You campaigned and were elected to unite this country and your removal of Rick Warren would go a long way toward achieving that goal.
Rick Warren was a major supporter of California's Proposition 8, the successful ballot initiative to ban gay marriage. Many prominent national gay leaders have called for Reverend Warren to step aside or for you to remove him.
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, declared your invitation to Rick Warren a "genuine blow" to gay Americans. "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," he wrote.
Equality California Executive Director, Geoff Kors said yesterday that, "I have decided to decline the invitation to attend the inauguration as I cannot be part of a celebration that highlights and gives voice to someone who advocated repealing rights from me and millions of other Californians.
Mr. President-elect, we know that you are trying to be inclusive at your Inaugural and in your administration and we applaud that. We, however, strongly urge you to do the right thing and reconsider your choice of Rick Warren. If you drop Rick Warren, it will send a loud and clear message to America and the world that you do not tolerate discrimination and hatred from anyone.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely yours,
Fred Karger
Founder
www.CaliforniansAgainstHate.com
If Obama REALLY wanted to be inclusive and honor our differences, he could have chosen Pastor Thomas Robb, the national director of the KKK.
Or, he could have invited Kenyan Pastor Muthee, to drive away witches and pray over him as he did for Sarah Palin.
But that would have been too much. There would be seen an outpour of rage and protests from communities of color, and Progressive Christians, and surely the gay community would have there protesting and marching, too.
Rick Warren, however, was a much better choice. Right? Right! After all, he primarily offends a small, world-hated, misunderstood community like that of gay people.
I know I am going too far. I couldn't care less at this point. I am not interested in dismissing Obama as an all-around bigot. No. I am simply saying that the "inclusiveness" rhetoric and rationale might be an astute political move, but not necessarily a decent one. And Obama needs to hear that.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-etheridge/the-choice-is-ours-now_b_152947.html
I agree with it is offensive to compare legalizing gay marriage to legalizing incest or abuse...but with all due respect, how is legalizing gay marriage ANY different from legalizing polygamy if it's completely between consenting adults?
How is opposing Polygamy OK, but opposing gay marriage bigotry? And for the record, I believe marriage between adults should be legal, regardless of gender, etc.
Prop 8 should NEVER have said same-sex MARRIAGE, call it same-sex UNION, anything but marriage and objections fall to the wayside.
Seriously, the world does not revolve around the same-sex marriage issue.
I'm not a fan of Rev. Warren. I am ALL in favor of tolerance. For EVERYONE. (Even for the intolerant.)
So I SUPPORT president-elect Obama's efforts to find common ground among ALL the different "camps".
How else to bring us together in "on tent"? By marginalizing those in the "wrong"? (Then where's the dif?)
Obama is doing so much more than tolerating Warren, he is elevating him to a position of authority and credibility.
Do you want Obama to turn into another Bush?
(But I sincerely do appreciate your efforts, Mr Karger. Thanks.)
I did vote for PE Obama and I will support him. I am not turning my back on him. That doesn't mean I agreed to be a sheep or a puppet. When I disagree with his choices I will let it be known.
I am turning away from obama, but I respect your position.
I don't like televangelists at all and I'm starting to feel more sympathetic to Rev Warren than to the LGBT activists wanting him removed. You may want to re-examine your strategy.
ENOUGH ALREADY!!
We get the message , but it wasn;t the message we voted for. We actually had hoped for CHANGE, not continuation of a message of hate.
Be smart like Obama. Stop hating, even if it feels like righteous anger. Everyone's got something to be mad at these days, and very few are going to privilege your angry pov over their angry pov. What will bring progress is focusing on what we have in common, not fanning the flames and reminding people to be angry about whatever their problem is.
and wants them to feel included.
Call that whatever you wish, but if you think it is sane politics to equate people like that, who simply believe what most people have always believed, with David Duke, you had better hope the court's stay on your side, because you can forget about the legislatures.
Most of Warren's supporters were, in the past, part of the base of the Democratic party, not the Republican. They are not wealthy, they are not financial elites, they are economic conservatives. But if you are going to insult their views, rather than try to change them gradually, you are going to lose. If you would rather lose, for the purity of informing the majority of people in this country that they are hate filled bigots, be my guest. Obama made one mis-step in that direction during the campaign. He has not repeated it.
I am no supporter of Obama. But the man is a gifted politician. He wants a good chunk of the Christian voters back from the Republicans, and he wants to blunt their opposition to his agenda, and he knows what he is doing.
But I agree that PE Obama needs to dump Warren.
My choice for PE Obama to give the invocation/benediction: The Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
First, while Warren certainly does oppose gay marriage, you fail to note that he supports equal rights for gays and supports domestic partnerships.
Second, I don't think he is equating homosexuality with pedophilia and incest. I understand that is your spin of the comments he made, but to me, that is using the time-honored Karl Rove trick of focusing on one thing, taking it out of context, and twisting it to mean something that was not intended.
Third, by obsessively focusing on Warren's 2-minute prayer, you ignore and disrespect the Rev. Lowery, a civil rights icon who supports gay rights and will deliver the benediction (the "final word" of the ceremony) and the Lesbian and Gay Marching Band Association, who has been invited to take part in the inaugural parade.
And finally, it seems to me there are far more serious issues facing the gay community, such as the lack of any rights in most states. It would be most unfortunate if they risked support among straight people by placing too much importance on a stupid 2-minute prayer that everyone will forget the next day. There are real battles to be fought. This is not one of them.
I respectfully disagree. This isn't just about gay marriage. Mr. Warren believes the LGBT community doesn't have the right to exist. He denies our humanity.
Dehumanization was the first step Hitler took agains the Jews--and I won't apologize for the analogy.
PE Obama has given an intolerant bigot an international platform. It was a mistake. He should be man enough to admit it.
Your analogy to the Holocaust is pretty pitiful and irresponsible. Thankfully, PE Obama has much more sense than that.