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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: National Organization for Women (NOW) Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906 |
NOW to President-elect Obama: We Hope You Will Change Your Mind
Don't Grant Rick Warren a Prominent Platform at Historic Inauguration
WASHINGTON - December 19 - Millions of people are finalizing their plans to travel to Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2009, to be part of your historic inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. We are all hoping to relive the joy of election night when we stood side by side believing that, together, we can change our country and our world for the better.
Today, we are disheartened that one of the voices that may be privileged to be part of this historic moment is that of Rick Warren. His delivering the invocation would be an insult to all of us, women and men, who support women's right to self-determination. His presence is offensive to all of us, gay and straight, who support equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.
We understand your desire to engage people from opposing sides of many issues. But dialogue requires treating your opponents with respect. Rick Warren has compared abortion to the Holocaust and stated that he would not vote for a "Holocaust denier." He implies that those of us who support abortion rights are equivalent to Nazis.
Rick Warren worked to take away the rights of LGBT people in California by supporting Proposition 8, calling it a "moral issue that God has spoken clearly about" and stating the "homosexual marriage is one of the five issues that are not negotiable." He calls LGBT people "unnatural."
Words do matter, President-elect Obama. Words lifted you to the White House and all of us to a place where we felt included in your vision. By choosing Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration you have deeply offended progressive people who worked and voted for you in record numbers. This is not the tone we hoped you would set on this historic day - and giving a platform to a messenger of intolerance does not send a message of acceptance and change.
There are limitless opportunities for your administration to work with people who do not agree on every issue, but who nonetheless agree that we must end poverty, address climate change, and achieve human rights for all. We are deeply disappointed that you have made a different choice and hope that you will reconsider Rick Warren's inclusion in this important and historic celebration.
President-elect Obama, you can still select a minister who will speak to our collective vision for hope, change and the promise that we will all be part of this great country, and we urge you to do just that.
4 Comments so far
Show AllI have no doubt that Obama doesn't share Warren's extreme views on these issues and that his inviting the famous pastor was an attempt to reach out to the Christian right, in itself an admirable thing. However, giving such a prominent platform to someone so intolerant confers prestige and implied approval, making dangerous and divisive views seem more mainstream.
Obama has disappointed the progressives who made him president over and over in his personnel choices. The change he promised is occurring in him, not in Washington generally.
The best approach would have been to have someone read a few appropriate lines from the holy books of many faiths, followed by a moment of silent prayer in which each could pray (or not) in his or her own way.
Alex
This is a curious move on Obama's part. But as Alex says, perhaps he is trying to speak to some segment of the Christian right in order to deliver on a campaign promise, i.e. uniting the country instead of further dividing it. Let's face it, the polaization of thought in the USA is not good for anyone and prevents us from actually hearing whatever good the other person has to say. I'd like to believe that this move might moderate Warren himself. I'd like to believe it, but I'd admit that the chances of such a thing happening are not great.
I agree with you that fostering polarization is counter-productive. No matter what our individual perspectives, we have to work together. And if the goal is to change a perspective, that can be better achieved through constructive means, by at least considering the other side's point of view and not driving them away with insults or by forcing a position they are not ready to accept. While I understand (or am assuming at this point) that this may be the thinking behind Obama's decision, would it not have been an even stronger move towards unification to have chosen someone who truly encourages equality and tolerance amongst all people? The notion that the only way to embrace a people or discourage polarization is by providing a platform for the very people who promote polarization through their discriminatory remarks is flawed. By that reasoning, Obama should have chosen a KKK member to represent the large population of bigots that reside in this country. I hope you are right though, that this move might serve in moderating Warren, although there seems to be a shortage on warm and fuzzy changes of heart these days.
On election night, I viewed Obama's acceptance speech with a 22 year old gay male whom I had co-parented as a lesbian partner with his mother. I made a point to watch this historic event with him. This was his first time voting and he was proud that his vote had been cast for the winner. As we listened to Obama, tears streamed down both of our faces. The long dark eight years of Bush's reign were coming to an end and we had hoped that Obama would bring sunshine to this tortured and torn nation.
I considered going to Washington for the inaugural celebration but decided against it due to responsibilities with my work. I had been to one other inauguration-in 1980 when I was 22. I rode a bus with a contingent of NOW members from NC. We held "ERA Yes" signs and stood in the frigid streets of our capitol in a futile attempt to hold back the tidal wave of conservatism that officially rolled in on that day.
I am glad that I decided to stay in NC and watch the inauguration on TV this
time. I was planning on joining a community celebration and of watching the inauguration with hundreds of Obama supporters. But now, after this slap in the face of choosing Warren for the invocation, I doubt that I will watch any of the ceremony.