… the real problem has nothing to do with ministers and everything to do with Obama's inability or unwillingness to be a moral leader. Richard Cohen

By Richard Cohen | December 23, 2008 | Washington Post

Not that he was planning to attend, but Barack Obama should know that my sister's inauguration night party -- the one for which she was preparing Obama Punch -- has been canceled. The notice went out over the weekend, by e-mail and word of mouth, that Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation had simply ruined the party. Warren is anti-gay, and my sister, not to put too fine a point on it, is not. She's gay.

She is -- or was -- a committed Obama supporter. On the weekend before the presidential election, my sister and my mother drove from the Boston area, where they both live, to Obama's New Hampshire headquarters in Manchester. There my mother made 76 phone calls for Obama, which is not bad for someone who is 96, and gives you an idea of the level of commitment to Obama in certain precincts of my family.

I should say right off that my mother feels less ...   more »

By Cindi Knox on December 21, 2008 7:18 AM

On a Christian denominational discussion board, a person who is gay said the Christian church is the stated enemy of the gay community and a person who is clergy in that denomination said “Or do you mean the gay community is the stated enemy of many Christian churches, the UCC & MCC excluded, at least.”

Which got me thinking:

"What might it look like if someone wanted to treat Christians the way gay people are treated?"

For one, tax benefits afforded to other not-for-profit institutions would be denied to churches, probably on the basis of separation of church and state. There are some who advocate for this, but they are not GLBT groups.

Christianity would be portrayed as a form of mental illness to be cured. There are some who advocate for this, but they are not GLBT groups.

When children gave their lives to Christ, their parents could have them shipped off to programs where they would be taught how not to be Christian, showing tough love for these wayward youth. There may be some who advocate for this, but they are not GLBT groups.

There would be programs to ...   more »

Ms. Tucker wrote a column in which she suggests that we give Obama a pass on honoring Rick Warren at the inauguration. I usually agree with Ms. Tucker, but I’m not in the mood to see normally reasonable people defending Obama’s bigotry and claiming it to be a virtue. Here’s my response. GS

Ms. Tucker:

I know you are busy, so I will cut to the chase.

I'm truly saddened by the state of the relationship between blacks and gays. It looks to me like the Democratic Party is going to be split wide open by a totally unnecessary war between black Democrats and gay Democrats. (Will the conventions be fair?  - last letter at bottom of page).  This is why I am so outraged that Mr. Obama would pour gasoline on the fire.

I support equal human and civil rights for all people. Until I read your apology for Mr. Obama's bigotry, I thought you did too.  The problem isn't the dialog and outreach to Rick Warren, it is the honor bestowed upon a bigot at a ceremony that should be for all Americans, not just the one's that Rick Warren and ...   more »