Rick Warren: Another Damper on My Chance at Obama-mania
Like everyone else who cares about LGBT equality, election night brought a mix of joy as it became apparent Obama would win, and pain as we realized Prop. 8 would pass. My wife and I spent the evening in Union Square trying to enjoy a birthday dinner with friends before heading to the official No on 8 party. When word came at around 8:15 that Obama had been elected, cable cars rang their bells and whoops of job sprang up all around the Square. I joined a dozen folks clustering around a local TV station's van watching a teeny tiny TV broadcasting CNN. I tried to join in the revelry, but all I could access was alienation. At no other time in my life had I felt so discriminated against . I spend my days working on a variety of progressive issues, but in that moment -- and for the next week -- all that mattered was Prop. 8. My vision narrowed and intensified. They say this happens when you feel under attack. "What about us?" I kept wanting to say. "What about our rights?"
Our dinner ran late, so we missed Obama's speech and we even missed the official No on 8 party. Upon leaving the restaurant all we saw was members of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and other assorted folks out on the street, stunned and wondering what to do next. I spent the next few days fearing conversation with anyone who might not be thinking about Prop. 8 -- anyone who would want to talk about Obama, or the weather, or our kids' school, or anything not related to my pain. It was as though I was grieving and I didn't want to be with anyone who wasn't grieving too.
It took us a full week to watch his victory speech on Youtube. By that time, my single-mindedness had subsided and I was able to be genuinely thrilled. My wife and I looked at each other during the speech, tears of joy this time. We agreed that his election is a once in a lifetime experience for us. This is our JFK. And even in mid-November I thought to myself, well, at least during his inauguration I'll be able to celebrate like the rest of the country. I'll be able to watch the event in real time and get high on the collective Obama-mania like everyone else.
So it breaks my heart -- in fact, it's pretty much inconceivable -- to learn that Obama has asked anti-gay California pastor Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.
I could forgive Obama his tepid support for the No on 8 campaign. It was election time -- he had to win. There are so many critical issues in front of him. He had to win.
But he could have chosen any clergy member in the nation to deliver his invocation. So why one from the state where religion has so recently been a painful dividing line? One who spoke out so publicly in support of Prop 8, stating that "there is no need to change the universal, historical definition of marriage to appease 2 percent of our population ... This is not a political issue -- it is a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about"? One who continues to argue that marriage equality silences his religious views?
Why re-open painful wounds?
As unlikely as it seems, here's hoping Obama will listen to reason and rescind his invitation. Here's hoping I will finally, finally, be able to have my Obama moment.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
See Isobel White's Profile
Just wanted to say thanks for writing everyone, and have good holidays. Regardless of all this I know 2009 will be a better year, and I for one am looking forward to Jan. 20. Even if I have to cover my ears during the invocation.
Its time to play america’s favorite game show..."Blame Obama". The game show where you come up with a random reason to put blame on Obama and we choose the best reason. Any reason is fair game.
Hate your job? blame Obama
Car broke down? blame Obama
Unhappy that prop 8 passed? blame Obama...cause afterall, he wrote the legislation
Unhappy that congress hasn’t legalized marijuana? Well, you have no one to blame but Obama...Afterall, Obama IS congress.
Sad that your wife left you for someone else? Well, guess what?...that someone else was Barack Obama...thats right, your wife was banging Obama.
Still looking for the person who shot JFK? Well, I’m pleased to tell you that your search is over because it turns out it was Obama...thats right, Barack Obama was the 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll.
Sad that the cubs haven’t won a world series yet? blame the curse of Obama.
Now it’s time to hear from you...go ahead, America...what do you blame Obama for?
He hasn't even been in office yet, but I DID vote for change, God darnit.
Its time to play America's favorite wacky game show..."Lets Blame Obama For Everything". The game show where you come up with some random reason to put blame on Obama and we choose the best reason. Any reason is fair game.
Hate your job? blame Obama
Car broke down? blame Obama
Unhappy that prop 8 passed? blame Obama...cause afterall, he wrote the legislation
Unhappy that congress hasn’t legalized marijuana? Well, you have no one to blame but Obama...Afterall, Obama IS congress.
Sad that your wife left you for someone else? Well, guess what?...that someone else was Barack Obama...thats right, your wife was banging Obama.
Still looking for the person who shot JFK? Well, I’m pleased to tell you that your search is over because it turns out it was Obama...thats right, Barack Obama was the 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll.
Sad that the cubs haven’t won a world series yet? blame the curse of Obama.
Now it’s time to hear from you...go ahead, America...what do you blame obama for?
I personally think the entire Q-community is in serious denial. They refuse to believe that their family and children rights (marriage equality) will NOT be granted before the year 2035. They think having a "Day without a Gay", or "Candlelight Vigils" will bring serious change. They won't. I won't repeat it here, but you can simply GOOGLE my name to find out how I think we should cope with institutionalized hate against our families and children.
When Obama invited this "christian" to his speak at his inauguration, he invited a man who believes the Q-community are INFERIOR; "less than". Let's quit sugar-coating these turds!
Being asked to "respect other's opinions" doesn't fly when those "opinions" are harmful lies about an entire segment of the population. Those "opinions" are tantamount to the extremely offensive beliefs and ideas our country once had about "negros" and "wives", words and ideas that would NEVER FLY TODAY at an inauguration. Words and ideas that would incite riots today.
I agree with you. I am not gay, but I am wondering which other of my values Obama is going to expect me to compromise just so he can broaden his base of supporters. I have limits, and--I hope other people. do too He has already crossed my line in the sand with his choice of Warren, not just because of the gay-bashing, but because of the honoring of somebody who encourages followers to call pro-choicers "baby-killers>' I am dismayed by the simplicity of the arguments of the anti-choice crowd, the ones who abandon infants the nanosecond they exit the birth canal, abandon them to be dependent on a person who didn't want them and didn't feel ready to care for them.
Heck, I stuck with Obama, even after Paul Krugman and Gloria Steinem called me "a cultist" and "a hater." And I lost a friend of over 50 years who emailed me those absurd columns. Now Obama condones the bad behavior of a guy who calls us "baby-killers," not only condones it, but bleeping rewards it.
I have about reached my limit on what I am leaving myself open to be called because of supporting Obama. It was fine with me while I believed he would be an agent of positive change. Now, with Rick Warren as his religious guru, it is no longer fine.
Change we can believe in? No this time. Rick Warren would not have approved of Obama parent's bi-racial marriage. Hillary was right this President elect is all talk. I take my vote back!
I think that too many are reacting selfishly and childishly in demanding that Obama only cater to their worldview to the exclusion of outreach to all others. There is too much "my way or the highway" thinking.
Some of you cant even get your own family members to support gay rights but you want to blame Obama for everything. I am really starting to hate so called liberal and progressives. You people whine lack conservatives do. Some of you are acting just like Bush with this with me or against me crap. Grow up and let Obama do his magic and watch how your rights will improve. Newsflash you cant convince people by making them your enemy. And if you think people cant change you only have to look no further than our president to see you are wrong.
Well, I don't know where I saw this saying: "gay is the new black", but it's true.
As a AA I get so pissed when i hear this. have gays been enslaved? Are they 70% of the jail population? Are there flags honoring their slavery? Please dont go there. Some of you are acting like spoil brats. All Obama has done is elect the first openly gay person to his cabinet. Go on TV and say several times he stands up for gay rights. Guess how many other presidents have said that? Zero. Stop Blaming Rick Warren bottom line most americans have a problem with gay marriage. It will take time. If you were really the new black you would know that blacks had to turned the other cheek to a entire country that stripped them completely of their heritage. And you are whining about a prayer. whoop d do
Dorraj- I have personal interest in the gay community and have been watching the reaction of white gays on this website and others ever since the election. What I have found is that alot of their behavior is right out of the the McCain/Palin playbook. Scapegoating blacks to get their base all fired up to protest etc. Is it true that 30% of the gay community voted for McCain/Palin? The gay communtiy is hell bent on getting gay marraige passed no matter what. They have hijacked the black struggle and try to use it as their own. They don't care that black people are offeneded by this use. They think they know better than the dumb black people. They are now the "new black." The gay leadership, to say the least, is unorganized and clueless when it comes to a cohesive strategy. What we are seeing are wealthy gays trying to get their base upset and angry. Who do they start a fight with, Barack Obama. Again, an arguement with a black person. No one really cares about this Rick Warren. Move on.
Here is a specific reference:
"He described the movement for inclusion of gays and lesbians as a continuation of the civil rights struggles of other groups in the United States – African Americans, women, the elderly, Latinos, the disabled. Like the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, this effort is nonviolent and rooted in faith, he said. "These are all baptized people."
He drew other parallels to the civil rights movement, noting that people on the political and religious right are demonizing gays and lesbians by calling them immoral, just as blacks were demonized. "Immorality is the charge aimed at the black community for 400 years," Lawson said."
Then you would be surprised to hear that one of the Civil Rights Leaders Dr. Reverend Lawson believes that the struggles during the Civil Rights movement are comparable to what the LGBT community is facing today. And this isn't second-hand knowledge, I heard the words come from his mouth at a forum in WA state. If you don't know who Rev. Lawson is, google "Rev. James Lawson," you might be surprised what his views on the subject are.
And what cabinet official are you referring to because I don't recall an openly gay cabinet secretary being put forward by Obama?
so because Rev Lawson says it I should say its true? No it is offensive period.........Rev Lawson doesn't speak for me........and it looks like he doesn't speak for Dorraj.........this man cannot speak for all AA.
Next up, Obama picks Michael Vick as special assistant to First Puppy -- PETA worried about their spot at the water dish.
Why don't we save the rhetoric for when something substantive happens?
Obama helped lead the charge against discrimination of gays in housing and employment in Illinois as a state senator. Moreover, while a state senator, he co-sponsored a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Though the measure became law less than a year after Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate).
He has pledged to review close to 1000 federal laws to make sure they are updated to include gays and lesbians. He has hired and vetted a record number of openly gay men and women for his staff.
Obama is not trying to be The President of "True Progressives", or The President of Blue America, or The President of Black America, or The President of Only Democratic Consituencies. Remember, on Nov. 4th, he was elected PRESIDENT of THE UNITED STATES. The 50 States. RED & BLUE. Secular and Religious. Urban and Rural...he has to represent all of us. And if that means building a "coalition government" to get crucial pieces of legislation through, then what's wrong with that?
See Joseph A. Palermo's Profile
Here's why I'm not a big fan of Rickie Warren: Warren called the Terry Schiavo case "an atrocity worthy of Nazism," even though an autopsy of the poor woman showed that she had close to zero brain function because her brain had become liquified. Warren was a huge and vocal supporter of Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative. In 2004, he sent letters to 150,000 of his fellow pastors urging them to cast their votes (and implore their flocks to cast their votes) for George W. Bush. He might hold the all-time record for collecting cash at a religious service: $7 million in one Sunday. He has a behemoth Southern California church in the form of Saddleback: 120-acre campus, three-hundred employees, and sixty franchise churches. Pastor Rick is James Dobson-Lite. He's among the most retrograde Southern Baptist Biblical literalists who believes David really did slay Goliath with a slingshot and other children's stories from the Bible. He has ministered to George Bush, Bill Clinton, and Rupert Murdoch -- and now, Barack Obama.
The real shock is that the GLBT community should be surprised by Obama's actions with respect to Warren, as they are reminiscent of the Democratic primary. Obama put together an "Embrace the Change" group to tour the South that included Donnie McClurkin, a gospel singer who had disparaged gays and lesbians. When GLBT complaints were raised, Obama's campaign responded with the same "come together" rhetoric. In light of his conduct, it is incredible for Obama to claim he is a "fierce advocate" for GLBT equality. A "fierce advocate" would invite a lesbian minister to deliver the invocation at the inauguration and then tell those on the religious right who objected about "coming together." The sad truth is Obama never was a "new breed" of politician.
I couldn't sympathize with you more. I was so excited as he won, I tried to just be happy in the moment, but one of my friends told me prop 8 had passed. That Obama would be so tone-deaf as to reopen this bitter wound on a day of celebration, it is really disheartening.
Help me out someone......did Obama promise gay people they would get gay marriage under his administration? What exactly did he promise gay people? I don't remember him making any promises to anybody. I am black and I don't expect anything from Obama. I am HOPING he does something that will help ALL black people and ALL PEOPLE in general but for expecting him to do something specific for just our race. How did gay people rise to the top of the priority list. He owes them something????????
Thank you. This has confused me as well. Personally I've been feeling part of the pain the gay community is feeling in regards to Prop 8 is in part to realizing how horribly they ran their anti-prop 8 campaign. They assumed to much and didn't do anywhere close to as much work and outreach as they should have been doing. However that has been a problem long before Prop 8 came up for a vote.
President Obama didn't really promise any particular group anything. He promised America as a whole various things but he never singled out any one group. It was clear he was against gay marriage so those upset at his response to Prop 8 should be surprised by that either. Or did they think he was simply saying that just to get elected and believed he didn't really mean it? I think for some that might have been the case.
People I feel aren't used to people being true to their promise to bring different sides together. He is actually attempting it now and some people don't really know how to handle it. I say some because I think the majority of people don't really care who is giving what a 5 minute prayer? It isn't going to be an ease process. It means finding common ground with someone you might likely hate not just hanging out with those that agree with your all the time.
Tanya,
Obama did not promise anything, The LGBT communityh are not expecting anything from Obama whom we supported wholeheartedly even with the knowledge that Obama is against same-sex marriage.
But for crying out loud, have some sensitivity! Like some of the bloggers here say, there are a lot of pastors out there - even with opposing views. Why pick somebody from California right after a very heated proposition that should not be in the ballot in the first place anyway.
If somebody from the KKK is invited who absolutely trash African Americans, I bet you won't be happy with that decision either.
For me, its not an old wound but an ongoing wound that never heals. Its that deep. Obama can't heal a wound this deep with policy alone. That's a good start yet insufficient by itself. The only thing that will heal this wound is a nationwide family community that includes all God's families, gay and straight, and gives them all equal protection under the law. Its too bad that Rick Warren poisons my blood with his toxic beliefs that try to reinfect my deeply wounded soul. However, as the California clash between Prop 8 and the State Supreme Court decision to allow gay marriage proves, "action without preparation of the ground only frightens and repels." In order to get people like Rick Warren to see gay marriage as acceptable we will have to work together on issues that we have in common. Its the most effective way to gain the respect of people whose disrespect is based purely on fear and ignorance. Remove the fear and replace it with familiarity and respect will be born. We cannot gain acceptance by targeting another group for rejection. If we give this sort of fear-based evil nothing to oppose it will disappear by itself. I say forget Warren. Instead, let's focus on making energetic progress toward full civil rights and equal protection under the law for all families in America and the world. Fortunately, Obama gave us Lowery so we should use him to keep our focus on the good.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
