It looks like Barack Obama has heard our prayers, if not our outrage.
In an unexpected move, the President-elect has invited the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop to deliver the invocation at the inauguration’s opening ceremony. The ceremony will be held at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, Jan. 18, and will be the first event attended by the President-elect.
The Right Revered Gene Robinson endorsed Obama before the New Hampshire primary, a move Obama’s campaign considered hugely beneficial. It was also revealed recently that President-elect Obama sought out Robinson’s counsel and reflections on what it was like to be “a first.”
Robinson has been openly critical of the controversial selection of Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the president-elect’s swearing-in ceremony on the National Mall on January 20. When Robinson heard the news about Warren, who has likened being gay to incest and pedophilia, he said “it was like a slap in the face.”
In response to his invitation to participate, Robinson told New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor that his inclusion in the opening event would be incredibly affirming to gay people.
A spokesman for the inaugural committee told New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor that Robinson was given the opportunity to participate in the opening ceremony because of his contribution to the religious community and his efforts on behalf of Obama during the campaign.
My previous posts on this topic:
- NYT’s Frank Rich Nail Obama on Warren Selection
- We Need to Stop Going to Parties Just Because We’re Happy to Be Invited
- The “Boys in the Band” Should Boycott the Inauguration
- Gay Hater Rick Warren Chosen for Obama’s Inauguration Invocation
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