Obama team takes blame for Robinson slight
President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural committee is taking the hit today for V. Gene Robinson’s invocation at the Sunday welcoming concert not being televised nationally, Politico reports.
Tens of thousands of attendees did hear the opening prayer given by Robinson, the openly gay New Hampshire Episcopal bishop, but viewers on HBO’s broadcast missed it.
The inaugural committee says the entire broadcast, including Robinson’s invocation, will be shown on the big TV screens along the National Mall on Tuesday.
“We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson’s invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday’s program. We regret the error in executing this plan – but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event,” inaugural committee spokesman Josh Earnest told Politico.
Robinson had been given the slot after he and other gay advocates protested Obama’s selection of evangelical preacher Rick Warren to give the invocation at Tuesday’s inauguration. Warren pushed for Proposition 8, which overturned gay marriage in California. Obama team takes blame for Robinson slight
Boston Globe, United States - 1 hour ago
Tens of thousands of attendees did hear the opening prayer given by Robinson, the openly gay New Hampshire Episcopal bishop, but viewers on HBO’s broadcast …
Bishop’s prayer at Lincoln Memorial silenced Chicago Sun-Times
Gay Bishop Is Asked to Say Prayer at Inaugural Event AfterEllen.com
Obama’s address at last night’s concert, and a few more gay … AfterElton.com
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Gay Bishop Gene Robinson Left Out Of HBO Concert Coverage
Sunday’s big Lincoln Memorial show was billed as the “We Are One” concert, intended to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama with a spirit of unity. But for those of us watching at home, one participant was excluded — Gene Robinson, the “first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop in a major Christian denomination.” Robinson was on hand to deliver an opening prayer to the event, but this prayer went unseen by anyone watching on HBO, who provided and sponsored the coverage.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for HBO stated that decisions regarding the timing and presentation of Robinson’s remarks were made by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, and that Robinson was “not a part of our show from the start.” Indeed, Robinson appeared minutes before the 2:30pm start time of the concert coverage. HBO’s response to the matter has been uniform. A spokeperson offered AfterElton.com much the same response: “The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show.”
HBO comes to this controversy without any sort of significant reputation for being a network or a workplace hostile to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In fact, the network is responsible for airing the drama Six Feet Under, which depicted gays in complex relationships unflinchingly. The Obama camp, on the other hand, has courted controversy already with the decision to include in the inauguration Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren, a supporter of Proposition 8 in California. The appearance of a snub in the case of Bishop Robinson has successfully raised the temperature among Democratic activists and in the liberal blogosphere, where outrage is being pointed mostly at the incoming administration and the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Watch the prayer here: Gay Bishop Gene Robinson Left Out Of HBO Concert Coverage
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Gene Robinson: Gay Bishop Giving Obama Inauguration Prayer
New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, a vocal gay rights leader, will open President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration with a prayer on Sunday’s kick-off event at the Lincoln Memorial.
“I am writing to tell you that President-Elect Obama and the Inaugural Committee have invited me to give the invocation at the opening event of the Inaugural Week activities, We are One, to be held at the Lincoln Memorial,” Robinson wrote in an email to friends.
The announcement comes after weeks of outcry from the gay community over Obama’s choice of evangelical, anti-gay pastor Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation.
“It’s important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way,” Robinson said in an interview with the Concord Monitor. “Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority or, in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters.”
Robinson is the first openly gay diocesan bishop in the Anglican Communion. “God never gets it wrong. The church often takes a long time to get it right. It is a human institution, but one capable of self-correction,” Robinson told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “I believe in my heart that the church got it wrong about homosexuality. There is great excitement in my heart to be living in a time when the church is starting to get it right.”
See Gene Robinson: Gay Bishop Giving Obama Inauguration Prayer
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Bishop Gene Robinson To Open Inaugural Weekend
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.”
Many of Obama’s supporters were furious at the choice of Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor and best-selling author, to deliver the invocation at the swearing-in ceremony.
An Obama source said: “Robinson was in the plans before the complaints about Rick Warren. Many skeptics will read this as a direct reaction to the Warren criticism – but it’s just not so.”
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Openly gay member of Congress given Obama inauguration honor
Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay non-incumbent to be elected to Congress, has been honored by President-elect Obama.
Baldwin, one of three openly gay representatives who will be serving in the 111th Congress along with Massachusetts’ Barney Frank and Colorado’s Jared Polis, has been named an honorary co-chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
“Vice President-elect Biden and I are grateful to these distinguished men and women for agreeing to serve as honorary co-chairs for the Inauguration,” the President-elect said in a statement Monday. “From family members to former presidents, each of these leaders has an unwavering commitment to bipartisan cooperation and a proud record of service to their community and our country. They exemplify the spirit of unity and shared purpose this Inauguration will reflect.”
See Openly gay member of Congress given Obama inauguration honor
PageOneQ.com
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Vanasco: Tammy Baldwin named honorary inaugural co-chair
President-Obama is nothing if not politically savvy.
Perhaps as a bone to gays upset over Rick Warren’s invitation to give the opening prayer during the inaugural ceremony, the openly lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) has been named one of 15 honorary co-chairs of the inaugural committee.
Of course, honorary co-chairs are just …
Tags: Co Chair, Co Chairs, Inaugural Ceremony, Inaugural Committee, Invitation, lesbian, Opening Prayer, Rick Warren, Tammy Baldwin, WiscGay band association accepted for inauguration festivities
The Lesbian and Gay Band Association, a musical group with members from gay marching and symphonic bands across the country, has been accepted by President-elect Barack Obama to march in the 2009 inaugural parade.
This is the first inaugural parade to feature a gay group. Former President Clinton allowed gay groups to perform on the sidewalk during the parade, but not to march. The Lesbian and Gay Band Association participated in both of Clinton’s inaugurations.
“This is the first time that an LGBT group will be represented in a Presidential Inaugural Parade, truly our chance to make history,” said the association’s inaugural committee to members Saturday.
See Gay band association accepted for inauguration festivities
Washington Blade, DC
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