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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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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Lesbian prof invited on Obama whistle stop tour

(Washington) President-elect Barack Obama has invited a group of “everyday Americans” to join him and Vice President-elect Joe Biden on their Whistle Stop Tour to the nation’s capital on the Saturday before Inauguration Day.

Obama’s presidential inaugural committee announced the plans for the Philadelphia-to-Washington train ride on Wednesday, adding another element …

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.”

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