December, 22 2008, 02:45pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Inga Sarda-Sorensen,
Director of Communications
(Office) 646.358.1463
(Cell) 202.641.5592
isorensen@theTaskForce.org
Task Force Calls Rick Warren's Stance 'an Affront to Our Common Humanity'
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force responds to Rick Warren's comment over the weekend that "you don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand." Warren, who has been tapped to give the invocation at President-elect Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration, is an outspoken opponent of marriage equality, reproductive choice and stem-cell research. He was a staunch supporter of Proposition 8 and has gone so far as to equate the marriages of same-sex couples with incest and pedophilia.
WASHINGTON
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force responds to Rick Warren's comment over the weekend that "you don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand." Warren, who has been tapped to give the invocation at President-elect Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration, is an outspoken opponent of marriage equality, reproductive choice and stem-cell research. He was a staunch supporter of Proposition 8 and has gone so far as to equate the marriages of same-sex couples with incest and pedophilia. In defending his positions, Warren has argued in part that he has "gay friends" and has "eaten dinner in gay homes."
Statement by Darlene Nipper, Deputy Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
"Rick Warren says even though we don't see eye to eye, we can walk hand in hand. He says he loves gay people, has 'gay friends' and has 'eaten dinner in gay homes.' Don't just tell us you love us, Mr. Warren -- show us. Your outspoken support for discriminatory measures such as Proposition 8 has made our families more vulnerable to violence, bigotry and economic distress. Your support for stripping our families of fundamental rights and protections is not an act of love; it is a profoundly harmful act. Your call for us to walk hand in hand, even as you advocate for our second-class status, is an affront to our community, demeans our common humanity, and makes a mockery of the principles of fairness and equality."
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we've made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That's why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. Join us!
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