Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopalian New Hampshire bishop whose ordination precipitated a mini-schism within his own church, will deliver the opening invocation of President Barack Obama‘s Inauguration this Sunday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. An unnamed source within the incoming Obama administration says that Bishop Robinson’s inclusion was planned before the controversy over Rick Warren but predicts that critics will suggest otherwise.
No? Really? You think so?
Politico reports on the late-breaking announcement:
“The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who was elected the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop in 2003, will deliver the invocation for Sunday’s kickoff inaugural event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said.
President-elect Obama is scheduled to attend the afternoon event, which is free and open to the public.
“The president-elect has respect for the Rt. Rev. Robinson, who offered his advice and counsel over the past couple of years,” an inaugural official said. “It also has the benefit of further reinforcing our commitment to an open and inclusive inaugural.”
With networks planning an unprecedented level of coverage of all things inaugural, you’ll probably wind up seeing the event on CNN, but the event is much less prominent than the actual inauguration, which Rev. Warren will officiate in all his ‘love the sinner, hate the sin’ glory.
The inclusion of Bishop Robinson is not nothing, however– and the symbolic importance of Robinson’s invocation at the same spot that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech won’t be lost on anyone.
How about we take this to the next level?
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rickroberts
Barack be kissin’ our faggot asses. Yay! Keep smoochin’, Barack!
PearlsBeforeSwine
This doesn’t make the invitation of Rick Warren acceptable to me. It has been suggested that the gay community should not be upset by Rick Warren’s invotation, because the event is largely ceremonial. That is exactly the point, out of all of the possible people that could have been invited, Obama has chosen to elevate an bigot by bestowing the honor of participating in his inaugural.
But inviting Gene Robinson is a slap at the constituency of Rick Warren. It will undermine his position in the religious right. I think it was in a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where I read that a good compromise leaves everyone unhappy.
emb
So now we have dueling inaugural invocations? My, poor god’s going to all confused. And it’s extra-special funny, since Warren has sided with the episcopal schismatics, and Bishop Robinson represents the non-schisming ‘piscopopals. It just gets weirder and weirder. Religion, my dears, would be screamingly funny if it weren’t for all the danger.
marco
dance-off time, mutha fuckas!
greater anglican communion, represent!
greybat
I’m not even remotely Episcopalian, but if anyone’s earned the job, it’s certainly Gene Robinson.
And the irony is delicious…
Nick
@pearlsbeforeswine
Thank you! Totally agree, well said.
MCnNYC
Yeah MAYBE CNN will cover a reportof the Sunday afternoon CONCERT…it is a CONCERT…and HBO has the exclusive rights to broadcast….ok so we got the subscription cable base vs. THE ENTIRE WORLD watching on Tuesday when homophobe and antisemite Rev. Rick Warren speaks.
Oh and that unnamed “Obama source” that says this was in the works….was this “deep throat” necessary?
No one wants to go on the record with this info?
COME ON
emb
GOOD NEWS, MCnNYC: “HBO will televise the event on an open signal so that cable and satellite subscribers who do not have HBO will be able to watch the inaugural kicker.” (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6627125.html). So people with no cable won’t see it, but folks with basic cable will.
And yeah, re “[Gene Robinson’s participation] was always in the works”: uh huh.
Charles J. Mueller
Love the Bishop’s House of Whoville hat
BrianPrince
I know that we’re the queer community… but seriously — how many bones do we need?
Tremonisa Smarts
@rickroberts:
The only reason rick roberts can make such an offensive and ridiculous statement is because he, like most in the white-dominated gay movement (and is say this as a black lesbian who thought she was part of the movement until white gay men decided that it was okay to call us n*ggers), chooses to ignore that the participation of Black feminist (not lesbian) poet Elizabeth Alexander and legendary civil rights activist and gay rights supporter Joseph Lowery. The each have prominent roles in the inauguration, and the each are strong supporters of gay rights. Lowery, a minister, has even called out other ministers on their homophobia.
But the only pro-gay gestures that mean anything to the white, racist gay movement are those that involve white people, like the bishop.
Meanwhile, like 4 centuries of gay, bi, straight, and trans white men before him, rick roberts cheers at the thought of another Black man having to submit to him. Sad. Racist. Pathetic.
rickroberts
@Tremonisa Smarts: Rick scratches his head in utter bewilderment.
Tremonisa, I didn’t realize we were talking about race. Have you somehow confused this thread with another? C’mon, girl. I’m on your side.
sparkle obama
@rickroberts:
no, rick – tremonisa is correct,
you all *know* she is correct.
this blog itself has barely covered the inclusion of rev. lowery.
i’m glad that rick (above) has verbalised the “obama kissing gays’ asses” meme.
…because it’s so much more *authoratative* when a “white” guy says (admits) it…
some of you all are a bunch of immature drama queens trying to fight hate with hate.
grow up, gays!
change is happening now.