President Obama: Actions Do Speak Louder Than Words

It is hard to swallow the news that Pastor Rick Warren will give the invocation at Obama's inauguration. I find it hard to see anything but a cynical political ploy that deliberately insults LGBT people to show the country that Obama is not a pandering politician. President Obama wants to show that he is America's president and can build bridges across old divides in this country. 

It is hard to swallow, because is shows that I am part of the country that can be insulted for political gain, even by this President who gave such hope. It is a political decision of course, all of Obama's decisions are. And he made a calculation that in order to show the big tent he is creating, some will just have to put up and shut up.

It reminds me of the times in his South Carolina campaign. He invited Donnie McClurkin to sing. McClurkin is of course the very vocal ex-gay gospel singer who let's no opportunity go by to "show" that gay people can change. Obama at that point gave an interview for the Advocate about this choice and he said then that we all have to learn to live together in a big tent. But he was saying that to LGBT people and basically asked them to put up with people who call them sinners.

Now he is asking LGBT people to put up with this preacher who campaigned ferociously for Proposition 8, who lied in the progress and suggested that Proposition 8 would end free speech and the freedom of religion. Rick Warren also compared my marriage to incest.

Rick Warren is being praised as someone who is strong in the fight against AIDS. Well, true, but that would be the fight against AIDS in Africa. That struggle is necessary, but we have a struggle here at home too. African American women and African American gay men are being infected with HIV at staggering rates, but that is not where Warren is working. It is easier to fight against AIDS over there, than it is over here where you don't actually have to deal with diversity in sexuality, gender and race.

This is the man Obama has chosen to give the invocation, and once again, I feel he is asking me to put up and shut up just so that he can show what a big tent we are living in. I don't see Warren shutting up at all, and at the very least there should be a give and take. I don't see it.

I have not forgotten how Obama stood in Ebenezer Baptist Church, Dr. King's church in Atlanta, Georgia. He spoke out against homophobia in the church and many in the audience didn't like that. It was brave and new for a presidential candidate to speak out for LGBT people in such a direct way.

However, today I feel that actions speak louder than words. And his action in South Carolina was to invite Donnie McClurkin and not pro-LGBT clergy. Yesterday he chose Rick Warren. He surely knew how LGBT people were going to feel about that after the defeat of Proposition 8, and it didn't make a difference.

So, I am on guard and will look for Obama to take action in his presidency. Let's see what he will do to fight homophobia, to promote an employment non-discrimination act that includes everybody. Let's see if the fight against AIDS will visibly include the fight for the lives of same-gender loving African American men and African American women. Let's see what he will do to promote the civil rights of LGBT couples even if he doesn't fight for marriage equality.

I will gladly accept his opposition to marriage equality, for we will achieve that goal regardless. I really think so. But there are many other policy areas where he can show leadership, and I for one, will be looking.

Actions will speak louder than words. This was one action, what's the next?

In the mean time, President elect Obama has given a press conference and was asked about his choice, which he did not address by himself.  This is what he had to say:

What I've also said is that it is important for America to come together even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues.

Well, that doesn't quite do it for me. Warren didn't simply disagree about marriage equality, he made strong statements, and he chose he words carefully, that demeaned LGBT people and compared their relationships to incest and pederasty. This is no social issue, this is a matter of human dignity. Ezra Klein pointed out that in this debacle, the only one who is not asked to be tolerant is Rick Warren.

And again, this is not about opinions any longer. I can disagree with many people on many things. This is about action. And this is the first day of Obama's administration. This was action number one, what will the next one be.