Saturday, December 20, 2008

Follow up to Rick Warren

I got hate mail from a gay person today about my Rick Warren opinion, effectively calling me a race traitor. I'm not reposting it. Once, I asked on Twitter whether it is a requirement to be both a bigot and illiterate. Apparently that is just the style of hate letters... seemingly illiterate.

Since we're picking apart Obama's LGBT stuff right now, let's make note of some of the things that have happened that apparently we care nothing about:
1) Nancy Sutley is named into one of the highest appointed positions an (openly) LGBT person has ever held in the executive branch.

2) A gay man is being considered for the job of Secretary of Navy, the first time an openly gay person will have ever led a branch of the armed forces.

3) A lesbian was shortlisted for the Secretary of Labor -- she did not get it over someone actually more qualified.

4) Oh, and Barack Obama is the only president to date to be very clear and specific (what we Kenneth Starr's words about Prop 8? "brevity...match with clarity") on his views of LGBT people -- “it is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans.”
And, please remember, this is all Barack Obama has the power to do right now, nominate people. But if you want to get angry about something...

How about this:

During the campaign all the Democratic nominees for President stated on a live, nationally televised debate that they would seek to repeal DADT. None of the nominees indicated how high a priority it would be, not how quickly they would seek such action. Obama, who recently reiterated his support of the LGBTQ community still plans to pursue a removal of the DADT policy, but his camp is now saying that such action will not start until at least 2010.
No? You want to get angry over a preacher at the inauguration?

Other things matter, Rick Warren does not.

PS For the Prop8'ers out there... good try. I thought we were still angry at the Mormons? No? We've changed that to include white evangelical Baptist members -- who preach to the largest Protestant denomination in the country? Oh, thanks for the memo. See, here I thought it was Equality California's gross mistreatment of the situation and belief that of course we'll win, as well as the rest of our (the greater "community") apathy and belief that of course we'll win.

If change is going to happen in the deep South, if change is going to happen in the hearts and minds of those so viciously against us -- the viciously devout, the Rick Warren debate was perfect.

1 comment:

Ms. Rho said...

While I'm not thrilled with the selection, and I'm not outraged either, I will suggest there had to be a better choice.