I am surprised that no one has mentioned this here in a diary I've been able to find. Some will say I am beating a dead horse, but I don't care. Follow me below for details of Obama's invitation to yet another homophobe to speak at the Inauguration.
One of the original stories is at here Alternet
The Presidential Inauguration Committee announced Tuesday that the President Obama has selected Pastor Louie Giglio of the Georgia-based Passion City Church to deliver the benediction for his second inauguration. In a mid-1990s sermon identified as Giglio’s, available online on a Christian training Web site, he preached rabidly anti-LGBT views. The 54-minute sermon, entitled “In Search of a Standard – Christian Response to Homosexuality,” advocates for dangerous “ex-gay” therapy for gay and lesbian people, references a biblical passage often interpreted to require gay people be executed, and impels Christians to “firmly respond to the aggressive agenda” and prevent the “homosexual lifestyle”
I can tell you that one of the most hurtful parts of the first Obama administration was asking to have Rick Warren speak at his inaugural. He was giving a platform to someone who spread hate, when there were so many other choices there. It was greatly resented by many in the LGBT community. In fact, it set off a chain of events (Rev. Robinson "accidentally" not being shown on live TV etc.) which got Obama off on very bad footing with many in the LGBT community.
Following McClurkin, I was very angry with Obama. Then came Warren. But apparently Obama/the inaugural team haven't learned anything:
From above Alternet piece:
(17:37) Men, women, I can’t say anything other to you tonight than this, that if you look at the counsel of the word of God, Old Testament, New Testament, you come quickly to the conclusion that homosexuality is not an alternate lifestyle… homosexuality is not just a sexual preference homosexuality is not gay, but homosexuality is sin. It is sin in the eyes of God, and it is sin according to the word of God. You come to only one conclusion: homosexuality is less than God’s best for his creation. It is less than God’s best for us and everything in our lives that is less than God’s best for us and his plan for us and his design for us, is sin. That’s God’s voice. If you want to hear God’s voice, that is his voice to this issue of homosexuality. It is not ambiguous and unclear. It is very clear.
There are numerous other very incendiary quotes.
So let me address the naysayers now:
- But Obama has done so much for LGBT rights, it's just a speaker at the Inauguration
Um, first, if you are trying to make improving LGBT rights a cornerstone of your presidency, you don't have to spit in the eye of the people you are supposedly trying to help. This is a PERSONAL choice. Hagel I can somewhat justify because there are other plusses to his candidacy. This is Obama picking yet another bigot when there could be much better choices out there who were/are not so vehemently anti-gay
Also, when will he get past this bullshit of making in-roads with these people? These people will always vote against him and his agenda. Why give the marquee moment to a hater
- But, but he said those things long ago
Yeah, and those are the seeds of hatred which were sown in the very people today who support discrimination against LGBT people.
Also, if Shirley Sherrod is up for scrutiny for what she didn't even say, Hagel for his homophobic remarks, they why should this guy not be held accountable, as would anything with a history of anti-African American, anti-woman, anti-Hispanic, anti- remarks. Yeah, the times are changing and its time for the haters and the Vichy apologists to be held accountable for hating when it was a much bigger trend.
And for what it's worth, I am against Hagel ALSO for this reason. As Maddow pointed out, there will be many, many issues involving LGBT people in the military coming up. So he should answer for his bigotry then. Yet another reason why he is a bad choice.
- But, but, Obama has a GAY CUBAN poet speaking
And this argument pisses me off most of all. In Obama and Co's mind, if you put up a minority group, that cancels out, makes ok having the hater up there. No, it doesn't. You don't have a "mixed program" by putting up people who have advanced society, like Ms. Evers and those who have held it back. Once again, we'll likely have an inauguration with the usual symbolic winks and nods to the LGBT community while the hater gets a front row seat.
Starting off Obama II in a sucky way, like he started off Obama I. Except he can't blame Boehner for this one. A fucking huge disappointment.