QUEERTY EXCLUSIVE– We’re all metaphored out for terms to describe Barack Obama‘s Inauguration, which is currently happening in D.C. and in the hearts and minds of libtards everywhere. So, all Hail Barack Obama, your new King, who may or may not make the country a better place for gays and lesbians. Hyperbole aside, after eight-long years of George W. Bush, today’s an occasion for hope and the promise of a better country. Queerty’s Inauguration correspondent and gay rights activist Dave Valk is in D.C., giving you an on-the-ground, uncensored look at all the events, from Rick Warren, the scene on the Mall to tonight’s gay inaugural balls. Follow along with him — and the rest of Team Queerty — here or via Queerty’s Twitter feed and give us your reactions to 44’s apotheosis in the comments.
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Wolf
Sorry Guys.
After all the shit w/the Presidential Inaguration Committe total and utter lack of sensitivity and lack of respect for the GLBT Community with Rick Warren and then the slight of Rev Gene Robinson my olive branch has broken.
Could really care less about the inauguration right now and don;t want anything to do with it. http://www.back2stonewall.com will be having a “Screw the Inaguration Like They Screwed Us” GLBT Film Festival all day as a personal boycott. NO INAUGURATIOn and all GLBT Positive Cinema!
Andrew
Watching the show live in the UK!
How exciting for you guys. All we get is Gordon Brown, ever seen him in a bathing suit? *shudder* x
PearlsBeforeSwine
I found the speech to be rather variable. So was soaring, some just sounded like touching the mandatory points.
He mentioned how 60 years ago his father might not have been served at a lunch counter. Too bad he couldn’t mention that 60 years ago his parent couldn’t have gotten married in much of the country.
geoff
It was hard to watch no-neck-warren, but aside from that bigot…I still have more hope with this president, than the last. He may not be the ‘gay messiah’…but he might end up being better than we fear.
The Gay Numbers
We have been in a really dark place for a very long time. Today, at least, we had the first signs of a possible light. it may or may not work out. But at least for the first time in a long time- there is a chance.
Alexa
Warren was hard to take, but, in truth, what he said wasn’t bad and would have been welcome from someone else – someone who meant it.
Other than that, it was pretty wonderful.
arjuna52
Warren’s invocatiion was an example of what evangelical Christians believe: that salvation comes only through Jesus. I was outraged that he religiously excluded everybody except people like him. Made it seem that he was promoting or, at least, only addressing a Christian Nation. And to say Jesus’ name in Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic was patronizing. What was with the Lord’s Prayer. SO INAPPROPRIATE for a public occassion. Fortunately, Obama referred to our country’s religious diversity. Rev. Lawry, who gave the benediction, was superb!!! Inclusive of everyone. He is a supporter of our struggle as LGBTQ Americans.
Alexa
@arjuna52:
Not only did Obama refer to our religious diversity, but he included non-believers.
CondeNasty
@Alexa
I totally agree. I cringed when Warren also stated that all Nations and peoples will stand before Jesus at the day of Judgement. What a narrow chisto-centric idiot.
Alex
Warren showed what a tool he is. Not only did he exclude all non-Christians, but Catholics as well, who don’t end the Lord’s Prayer with “For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.” (I’m not Catholic, but this is a point of contention for a young Jeb Bartlet in the West Wing). Lawry on the other hand was fantastic.
sparkle obama
i didn’t watch warren, but rev. dr. lowery’s prayer was on-point and quotable!
go obama!
haters will get along to go along.
Ed
Watching the tweets from the HRC Ball reminds me of living in DC. I was doing well at the time, and had donated a few thousand $$$ to HRC one year. They emailed and invited me to a planning committee meeting (probably thought I had more $$ to give). I have never in my life (28 at the time) felt so out of place. They sat and talked about holding a fund raiser, and discussed locations – including their personal homes, which seemed to be problems since during cold weather, they could only accommodate 400 people or so inside, where if they were doing it in summer, they could get 800 people. In their homes/yards. I left, and didn’t get back into any sort of activist activities for years – I was outclassed by those power players. Seemed to hold true of most gay political organizations until Prop 8 passed. Sure I attended an HRC National Dinner, was there for the March on Washington, but I never got involved with a group again.
Tom Bacchus
HRC = Hubris Reeks Continually
gayvirgo
Warren was shallow and narrow of vision. Lawry was eloquent and carried with his prayer the spiritual credential of being a Civil Rights pioneer. I was much more moved by the benediction than the invocation. I was also gratified that Obama included us in his speech at the Lincoln Memorial concert.
I watched the oath/speech at a large rehearsal studio in NYC, surrounded by artists, producers, etc… It was wonderful. It was also wonderful to see Rick Warren spontaneously “boo”‘d. Unfortunately the biggest unplanned highlight was The Queen of Soul’s poorly planned mid-word breathing which left us with the following phrase:
“My Cunt—–try ’tis of Thee”
Needless to say we all nearly exploded at that one.
Here’s to a new beginning and the always-renewing hope we have of a better future….for all.
petted
– Girls just wanna have fun! 🙂 12 minutes ago –
Sounds like someone’s having fun 😉 Rock till you drop man – later
Alfredo Munoz
An all to familiar and easy indictment as we hasten to fulfill the Orwellian prophecy i.e. “you are racist”,”you are an
anti-semite” etc.It won’t be long before the re-education camps are implemented.Whatever happened to the First Amendment?Oh wait I see how it works now.
BTW Who was the lame ass that quoted Bishop Tu Tu? How cloyingly trite was that pompous gasp.
Kit
@gayvirgo:
Totally agree about Warren. I was really not happy about him giving the invocation, but in the end it was nothing. I mean literally nothing. It was so trite and inconsequential that I couldn’t even get worked up enough about it to bother hitting the mute button. It was blindingly obvious that he didn’t really belong there. And if nothing else, having him share a stage with a real man of god like Joseph Lowery brilliantly showed him up for the glib charlatan that he is.
petted
@Alfredo Munoz: You sure your on the right page? There seems to be a substantial gap in your discourse.
sparkle obama
testing
Michael
Libtards rule, for America!
Also.
petted
@sparkle obama: 1, 2, 3?