Reply #12: We're still gay friendly. It just seems some of us are Obama friendlier [View All]

[Bucky]

I'm among the straight DUers who's really really pissed at my president right now. I've gone along with all of his picks for the cabinet & executive staff here. I judge a politician by his accomplishments, not the ideological purity of his appointees. I certainly want a president who's inclusive and tries to heal the political rancor (and isolate the unremitting hatemongers) in the country.

But selecting the pastor who offers the invocation at the peoples' inauguration is entirely a symbolic act. There's no substance to it; unlike secretary of transportation or defense, there's no substance behind the face of who you pick. By picking a leading voice against full civil rights for gays to bring God's blessings onto the day's ceremonies, Obama is giving tacit approval to that voice and that message. I know Obama is against civil discrimination, but for the symbolic moment, he's giving honors to a man who stands against civil equality.

It's wrong and he should know better. I'm angry. This hurts me only because I'm sympathetic to gay rights; until today I assumed the president was of the same mind--what hurts my brother damn well better bother me a little, too. This hurts gay Americans directly; it honors a man who hates them. I don't see how Obama thinks he can heal a country's wounds by adding a few more cuts to the faces of an already abused group of Americans. It's a shitty thing to do.