Gays furious about Rick Warren giving invocation at Obama's inauguration

(photo from Causecast)


Obama backers slam his pick of Rick Warren -

"Barack Obama 's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his presidential inauguration already has angered the left before the megachurch pastor's evangelical critics have had a chance to respond.

Immediately after release of the inaugural program today, Joe Solmonese, president of the "gay" rights group Human Rights Campaign, fired off a letter to Obama calling the president-elects choice "a genuine blow to LGBT Americans" – lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders, reports David Brody of CBN News.

People For the American Way also issued a quick statement, calling the pick "a grave disappointment."

and Right Wing News has collected some reactions from the gay community:

Daily Kos:
What a spit in the eye to the GBLT community in particular, and to anyone who supports equality, dignity and justice under the law.

Feministing:
So many pro-choicers, gay activists, and progressive Christians worked their asses off to elect Obama, which makes Obama's decision to give Warren a platform at the inauguration a real f*ck-you.

Firedoglake:
President-elect Obama chose eliminationist hate preacher Rick Warren to give the invocation at Obama's Inaguration. With this choice, Obama sends three destructive messages. Number one: In Obama's America, equal rights and reproductive freedom aren't for everyone. Number two: President-elect Obama likes sharing the national stage with hate. Number three: While Obama enjoys his equality before the law, LGBT Americans can go to Hell. Literally. Gee. Is this change we can believe in?

Andrew Sullivan:
Shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now. He won't be as bad as the Clintons (who, among leading Democrats, could?), but pandering to Christianists at his inauguration is a depressing omen.

and Right Voices also has collected some more reactions:

Rick Warren to give inaugural invocation — (CNN) — President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony will feature big names like minister Rick Warren and legendary singer Aretha Franklin, the Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced Wednesday.

Obama picks homophobe pro-’Prop 8′ evangelical preacher to give the invocation at inaugural — 5:22PM UPDATE: Warren compared abortion to the “Jewish Holocaust,” and said that making abortion “rare” wasn’t enough, he’s for outlawing abortion, period. So that would make pro-choice people …

Gay activists furious with Obama — Barack Obama’s choice of a prominent evangelical minister to perform the invocation at his inauguration is a conciliatory gesture toward social conservatives who opposed him in November, but it is drawing fierce challenges from a gay rights movement that …

Ugh — Rick Warren will give the invocation at Obama’s inauguration. Warren is a man who believes my marriage removes his freedom of speech and cannot say that authorizing torture is a moral failing. Shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality …

Pro-Life Rick Warren to Give Invocation at Obama Inauguration — Pro-life pastor Rick Warren will give the invocation at President-Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration. It makes a whole lot of sense. Even though Warren and Obama disagree on the life issue, they do see eye to eye on many social justice issues.

Not the Change they anticipated - so sad :(
(well, not really)