[Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd: From a CA Green Party Member regarding Mr. Obama's invitation to Rick Warren]

[Gerry Gras]

FYI,

Gerry


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: From a CA Green Party Member regarding Mr. Obama's invitation
to Rick Warren
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:17:11 -0800
From: Shannon Q <uberdude at hotmail.com>
To: <santabarbara at cagreens.org>, <santaclara at cagreens.org>,
<santacruz at cagreens.org>, <larry at santacruzgreenparty.org>,
<shasta at cagreens.org>, <sierra at cagreens.org>, <siskiyou at cagreens.org>,
<solano at cagreens.org>, <sonoma at cagreens.org>, <stanislaus at cagreens.org>,
<sutter at cagreens.org>, <tehama at cagreens.org>, <trinity at cagreens.org>,
<tulare at cagreens.org>, <tuolumne at cagreens.org>, <ventura at cagreens.org>,
<yolo at cagreens.org>, <info at ucdgreens.org>, <yuba at cagreens.org>



Dear Ma’am or Sir;





I've recently been speaking to a number of friends in the LGBT community
in my area and abroad, both directly and over electronic forums such as
Live Journal, blogs and email.  The majority of these friends are
currently registered voters with the Democratic Party.



As you most likely know, President Ellect Obama has invited Rick Warren
as a key member of his inauguration. Rick Warren was not only a
significant champion of supporting Proposition 8 in California to take
away the right to marry from same sex partners, he is also a publicly
outspoken figure who vehemently equates same sex orientation to incest
and pedophilia and contributed to a campaign of lies and slander against
homosexuals (both as part of his efforts in the Proposition 8 campaign
and before/after as well).



Politics aside on whether or not Mr. Obama supports gay rights or not
(and he does not, despite his claims to the contrary. We’re either equal
or we are drinking from another water fountain), the deep and dismissive
insult to the LGBT community is inviting a man who spreads outright lies
and slander regarding LGBT citizens of this country to act as a key
speaker in a ceremony Mr. Obama ‘claims’ to be inclusive of everyone.
  The collaborative bigotry going on here is blatant and shameful. If the
the head of the Aryan Nation or the Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux clan
had been invited in Mr. Warrens place, no one would have the gall to try
and speak about ‘differing perspectives’ or ‘inclusiveness’.  Mr. Obama
has willfully invited a hateful bigot to stand with him at a ceremony
that is supposed to represent the entire nation.



In my discussions with my Democratic LGBT friends, I pointed out to them
that the Democratic Party has historically courted the LGBT community
for votes and support, however whenever it is the LGBT community who
needs the support of the Democratic Party, the Party is suddenly
reticent to make any kind of significant stand on germane issues, citing
it to be 'too controversial'. I then invited all of them to come take a
look at the values and stated platform of the Green Party, citing that
the Green Party has the courage to unequivocally state that they support
equality for all under the law, including those of same sex orientation
and transgendered people. It was my hope to offer them a political party
that really did stand for them and not one that was simply ‘the lesser
of two evils’ (intolerance vs indifference).



I have been providing links to both state level Green web sites
(www.cagreens.org being one of them) and the national site at
http://www.gp.org <http://www.gp.org/>.  It was then that I felt a pit
in my stomach. No where on the Green Party sites is the Rick Warren
situation being discussed. So now I am writing you to ask that you
rectify this oversight. As a Green, I and other gay Green Party members
stand with you and for the Green Party platforms, all of them.

I am asking that the Green Party do the same.



Thank you for your time,



Shannon Mathew Quintero



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