[Sosfbay-discuss] Greens: protest Obama's antigay inaugural minister Rick Warren

[Drew Johnson]

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=159

Gay rights supporters should protest Obama's choice of antigay minister
Rick Warren to deliver inaugural prayer, say Greens

Gay rights supporters should protest Obama's choice of antigay minister
Rick Warren to deliver inaugural prayer, say Greens

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Obama should have the US sign UN statement endorsing universal
decriminalization of homosexuality


WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party activists challenged gay voters and
advocates of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights to protest
President-elect Barack Obama's invitation to Pastor Rick Warren to deliver
the inaugural invocation.

"Unless we make our anger known now, Mr. Obama will continue to betray gay
people," said Starlene Rankin, co-chair of the party's Lavender Green
Caucus (http://www.lavendergreens.us). "Barack Obama's claim to be a
'fierce advocate for equality' is not credible when he chooses a pastor
notorious for his ill-informed and slanderous opinions about homosexuality
and vigorous support for Proposition 8."

"The invitation signals that Mr. Obama may repeat the Clinton approach to
gay rights. President Clinton, taking gay votes for granted, signed the
1996 Defense of Marriage Act into law and authorized the 'Don't Ask, Don't
Tell' military policy. We've had generations of gay rights advocates and
other progressives insisting that we need to elect Democrats, then we'll
push them towards pro-gay agenda. Instead, gay people have remained
second-class citizens in the Democratic Party and told to hush up when
they're politically inconvenient. For those tired of bipartisan retreats
from promises of human rights and justice, the Green Party remains the
party of real change in America," added Ms. Rankin.

The Green Party's national platform asserts that gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender Americans deserve all the rights, including marriage and
the ability to raise a family, that all other Americans enjoy
(http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/socjustice.html#999082). Greens strongly
opposed Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in California.

Mr. Obama has said he opposed the passage of Propositon 8, but he also
opposes full same-sex marriage rights, a position inconsistent with
support for full and equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender people.

Pastor Warren's public statements have revealed profound ignorance and
bigotry on sexuality and on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people
in particular. Promoting passage of Proposition 8 in California, he has
said that "in the hierarchy of evil... homosexuality is not the worst
sin," an admission that he believes gay people are evil because they are
gay.

He has said that allowing same-sex marriage is like allowing "a brother
and sister be together and call that marriage" and added that he is
"opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that a marriage,"
comparing same-sex marriage and homosexuality to incestuous relationships
and pedophilia, which are crimes. Pastor Warren has also said that
homosexuality is "not the natural way.... Certain body parts are meant to
fit together," but has not called for the invalidation of heterosexual
marriages in which the spouses have engaged in sex outside of vaginal
sexual intercourse.

Greens noted that Barack Obama's choice of Rev. Warren for the inaugural
prayer coincides with a declaration introduced by 66 countries in the UN
calling for universal decriminalization of homosexuality
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7791063.stm). The US is the only major
western nation that has refused to sign on, even though a Supreme Court
decision has invalidated US laws against sodomy.

"Will the new Obama Administration maintain Bush policy and decline to
have the US sign the declaration against criminalization of gay people?"
asked Tim Casebolt, secretary of the Lavender Green Caucus.

"Barack Obama has asked Robert Gates to stay on as Secretary of Defense.
Mr. Gates is not only likely to continue the Bush Administration's
military aggression around the world, but also the targeting of gay
members of the armed forces for investigation, harassment, and discharge.
The Obama Cabinet appointments have disappointed anyone who sincerely
hoped for genuine change in 2009," Mr. Casebolt added.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

Tally of Green election victories
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html

Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php

Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml

Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers

Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections


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