Openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson delivered the invocation at the Lincoln Memorial today as part of Obama’s inauguration ceremonies. However, HBO’s broadcast began after Robinson spoke, cutting him from the broadcast entirely. While Rick Warren’s invitation to lead an invocation was seen by many as a slap in the face to LGBT supporters, Obama’s choice of Robinson seemed like an olive branch to those who felt betrayed by the decision.
AfterElton.com spoke to HBO, who said that the deicision to keep Robinson’s invocation before the broadcast was made by the Obama team:
Contacted Sunday night by AfterElton.com concerning the exclusion of Robinson’s prayer, HBO said via email, “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. Uncertain as to whether or not that meant that HBO was contractually prevented from airing the pre-show, we followed up, but none of the spokespeople available Sunday night could answer that question with absolute certainty. However, it does seem that the network’s position is that they had nothing to do with the decision.
Put down that bubbly, and pick up the new Obama inebriation:
The maker of Hennessy Cognac, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is using numerology rather than language in its promotion, selling 180,000 bottles, priced at $30 each, bearing seals and labels on the front and back emblazoned with “44” and phrases like “In honor of the 44th president” and “In honor of the presidential inauguration.”
We already know that Rick Warren, Obama’s choice for the invocation at his upcoming inauguration, doesn’t think too much of gay people, but his defense of this intolerance has always been his heavily-publicized work toward battling HIV/AIDS in Africa.
In an article in The Daily Beast, Max Blumenthal reveals that Warren had tacitly endorsed condom-burning and anti-gay ‘witch hunts’ in Uganda:
“His website contains scant information about the results of his program. However, an investigation into Warren’s involvement in Africa reveals a web of alliances with right-wing clergymen who have sidelined science-based approaches to combating AIDS in favor of abstinence-only education...Warren’s man in Uganda is a charismatic pastor named Martin Ssempa. The head of the Makerere Community Church, a rapidly growing congregation, Ssempe enjoys close ties to his country’s First Lady, Janet Museveni, and is a favorite of the Bush White House. In the capitol of Kampala, Ssempa is known for his boisterous crusading. Ssempa’s stunts have included burning condoms in the name of Jesus and arranging the publication of names of homosexuals in cooperative local newspapers while lobbying for criminal penalties to imprison them.”
In response to the attack ad by the McCain campaign in which Obama is compared to celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, Ms. Hilton sent out this video. Clever girl!
“Exactly what Gore was waiting for in the past two weeks since Obama sewed up his party’s nomination is unclear. Maybe he just wanted to go to Michigan where his prize-winning environmental pitch is so very less welcome than other places that don’t make so many large cars.
Or maybe he was waiting until his endorsement meant absolutely nothing.”
Q Mag is a student-run queer magazine at Binghamton University. In its third year of publication, Q offers a unique style and focus, representing LGBT voices throughout BU's campus, the city of Binghamton, and beyond.
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