Rick Warren

I can't begin to express my disappointment in the selection of Rick Warren to deliver Barack Obama's inaugural invocation. It is clearly his right and I understand and applaud the impulse to reach out to all of his constituents. If this were a commission on poverty or AIDS or global-warming, I would have no problem with being inclusive of Pastor Warren. But it isn't. It is a day of national unity. The inaugural is not the time to be political and the Warren invitation is political.

President-elect Obama has broken faith with his supporters. It is true that he should not be judged by Rick Warren's comments anymore than he should have been judged by Jeremiah Wright's. We should watch what he does. His actions are not exactly something to shout about. After his cabinet appointments- which don't include a member of the LGBT community, the announcement of the White House senior staff - which also doesn't include a member of the LGBT community, the inaugural plans - which don't include a meaningful role for the LGBT community and the patronizing handling of the very real dismay of the LGBT community, I'm not so inclined to shout that change is on the way. We are still second-class citizens with second-class rights and President-elect Obama's "fierce advocacy for the equality of gay and lesbian Americans" has thurfar amounted to little more than the empty rhetoric I never believed him capable of.

It was not just a sobering moment but also a personally hurtful one. I hope that my support was not misplaced. At this moment, I'm unconvinced that a President Obama will actually deliver the change we need.

check out Joe Solomonese's WA Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121802788.html