I have been blogging here for days venting my anger over the selection of Rev., Warren by president-elect Obama to participate in inaugural activities on January 20, 2008. I must admit my reaction has surprised me - when most of the gay community was falling in-line for Hillary Clinton, I went the other way and signed up with Obama - and I did it early, in February of 2007. And I have been a fanatical Obama supporter since then, contributing tons of money, traveling all over to caucus and primary states, sitting home and calling voters in state after state, helping, with a zillion other volunteers to push him over the top and win the nomination.
And I did this for one reason - after the last 8 years, I thought we needed someone to set this country back on track. To repair the damage to our reputation around the globe, to save our rights as citizens that were being given away and trampled upon by George Bush and the neo-cons.
I worked my ass off this fall registering voters, turning out the vote, phoning, and a zillion other things, just as most of you all here did. And election night was a historial triumph we all shared, and who would have thunk it!
But now all that enthusiasm, HOPE and the sense that we could take back our country from all the kooks has evaporated by one act I find mind- boggling - elevating a bigot to speak at the inaugural. And I still can't believe it has happened.
I can remember growing up, knowing I was different - knowing that if I revealed myself, I would be shunned by family, friends, co-workers, etc., I would be banished from some of those in my life. So I kept my mouth shut, knowing that in such a conservative community, it was the only option.
And then, there was Anita Bryant. Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority. Phyllis Schlaffly and her goons at the Eagel Forum. Pat Robertson. And the list goes on and on and on.
I finally said the hell with it and came bounding out of the closet, becoming a happier, more content person. I kept working in politics to change the way things were going in this country - but I was never a single issue person. Civil rights and abortion rights were always my top two issues - if you were running for office and you shared my values on these issues, as well as stem cell research, I was good to go.
But the one thing that was always paramount in my mind was civil rights, especially those of us in the GLBT community. Over the last three decades I have grown tiresome of becoming the poster child for the religious right. And that is why this election was so important and exciting for me - finally an opportunity to break from these religious kooks - but I could not have been more wrong.
Obama's selection was nothing but a slap in the face to me and my community - a hard, cold, open handed slap right across the face. How someone like Obama could annoint Rev., Warren to speak at the inaugural, knowing the horrible things Warren has said about gays and lesbians, is beyone belief. It's disturbing, frustrating, incomprehensible, and it is unacceptable.
And I feel like such a fool - during the campaign I convinced so many to vote for Obama, touting his good judgement - what a fool I am. The level of disapointment I feel in my soul is something I thought I would never feel.
But my hope is that some how, Michelle Obama will rise to the occassion and some how convince the president elect that this whole idea of Rev., Warren speaking at the inaugural is a bad idea. But I think the dye has been cast.
I know at some point the political circus in Washington will rise again, with the polarization returning. And the very social conservatives Obama hopes to attract with this appointment, will rise up against him, as they always do. And I can't speak for my community, but for me, I can't promise you I will be there when they do. And maybe that is the wrong choice - but I have had my trust in politicians stripped away now and I will never trust another politician like this again.
Thanks for listening.