Bishop Gene Robinson to Deliver Prayer at Inauguration's Opening Ceremony

The Right Reverend Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be ordained a bishop in the Episcopal Church, has been asked by President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural committee to deliver the invocation at the inauguration's opening ceremony, which is being held at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, January 18, and will be the first event attended by the president-elect.

Robinson, whose endorsement of Obama before the New Hampshire primary was considered a big coup for the campaign, has been critical of the controversial selection of Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the president-elect's swearing-in ceremony on the National Mall on January 20. When Robinson heard the news about Warren, who has likened being gay to incest and statutory rape, he said "it was like a slap in the face."

But after the invitation was extended to him, Robinson told New Hampshire's Concord Monitor that his inclusion in the opening event would be incredibly affirming to gay people.

"It's important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way," Robinson said. "Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority, or, in our case, a sexual minority -- just seeing someone like you up front matters."

A spokesman for the inaugural committee told the Monitor that Robinson was given the opportunity to participate in the opening ceremony because of his contribution to the religious community and his efforts on behalf of Obama during the campaign. Robinson also revealed recently that President-elect Obama sought out his counsel and reflections on what it was like to be "a first."

LGBT leaders were quick to trumpet the addition to the ceremony. “Bishop Robinson models what prayer should be -- spiritual reflection put into action for justice,” said Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese. “It is encouraging that the president-elect has chosen this spiritual hero for all Americans to lead the nation in prayer at the Lincoln Memorial inaugural concert.” (Kerry Eleveld, Advocate.com)

Keywords: Gene Robinson

Related stories from Advocate.com

2009-01-30: Obama's First Days According to Rev. Gene Robinson
2009-01-21: Gene Robinson's Invocation at the Inauguration's Opening Ceremony
2009-01-20: Bishop Robinson Talks Obama on Rachel Maddow
2009-01-17: HBO Blames Obama Transition Team for Robinson Blackout
2008-12-05: Conservative Episcopalians Announce Plan to Break Away

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: SteveMD2
Date posted: 2009-01-17 1:22 AM
Hometown: Annapolis MD

Comment:

"He certainly doesn't owe anything to gays as a group, who by and large supported McCain. " (mike raymond said) If I believed this statement was true, I'd probably commit suicide. My wife would have had my head if I offered her $30,000 to fix up our 70's house. Instead it went to support gays in CA etc But if gays voted by a large number to support McCain (not a bad guy but the leader of a totally corrupt party), then they must be, and it has nothing to do with sexual orientation, suffering a form of mental illness. so Mr. Raymond is - did you type the wrong thing by mistake, or are you a plant from the religious right neo-nazi wing republican party. Your job is to split the gay community, so the republicans can keep destroying America with their God of Greed and their corrupted version of morality.

Name: Rich
Date posted: 2009-01-13 4:52 PM
Hometown: Falls Church, VA

Comment:

Hi Mike- With all due respect, Obama isn't President yet so there's nothing he can do. His approach is that there's a place at the table for everyone and he's been true to this promise. On this afternoon's segment of "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross (NPR), she interviewed Gene Robinson. He's going to invoke "the god of many understandings" and made it quite clear that none of us can actually claim to know what God says about homosexuality (like what the fundamentalists do). To me, Robinson's inclusion in the whole thing is powerful and will probably produce a longer-lasting change than someone who spreads a message of homophobia and hate. Trust me--I believe that the states MUST provide marriage equality to all, but the transformation that needs to happen in the individual can't be legislated. All hope is not lost.

Name: mike
Date posted: 2009-01-13 1:35 PM
Hometown: cincinnati

Comment:

Gays are always all over the place with their opinions. Equal civil rights under the constitution is all that the gay community should want. How long should gays be patient for fair treatment? Are we supposed to wait until a majority of Americans decide that we should have some rights? Why is this? Obama has done nothing for gays. Every move by him feathers his own nest. When one listens to him, one always feels to be held in the highest regard. This must be a ploy. There are no gay cabinet appointments. Rick Warren is anti-gay totally. I am sick of the word inclusive. Rick Warren and lack of civil rights is not inclusive. It is disrespect and stay in your place.

Name: Michelle
Date posted: 2009-01-13 10:36 AM
Hometown: New York, NY

Comment:

I was not pleased at all to hear about Obama's choice of Rick Warren to lead the invocation at his swearing-in ceremony. Still - I applaud Obama for including Reverend Robinson to deliver the invocation at his opening ceremony. Yeah, some us us feel like that was an afterthought - something he tossed at us to shut us up for awhile. You do realize that he had no obligation to include Reverend Robinson? None at all and frankly, I do not believe that most politicians would have done that. Choosing Warren was an error, that is obvious, but Obama cares about gay Americans enough that he heard us out. Looks to me like he had one of those "oh.. damn... I'm sorry. Here... see. You are important to me too." revelations. Warren was a lapse of judgment (although a major one). President Obama is trying.

Name: Rich
Date posted: 2009-01-13 6:40 AM
Hometown: Falls Church, VA

Comment:

Mike Raymond has a point in that we (gays) need to stop attacking those who disagree with us and throwing the stones back at them. It could be that Obama is really trying to build bridges here. The past few years have given us a great amount of political division and this hasn't helped any of us. If we want the opportunity to express our beliefs, we need to allow others to do the same. And we don't have to attack each other in the process. If we want inclusion, we need to remember that it involves the inclusion of others, too. And if someone's message is one of hate, how is our cause served by hating them back? Let's give Obama a chance.

Name: Two Husbands together in Love since 1976
Date posted: 2009-01-12 8:03 PM
Hometown: Easton and Harrisburg PA

Comment:

Bishop Robinson will not go unnoticed wherever he speaks and for whatever reason he was invited to receive this great honor. We two husbands saw him speak at First Church in Philadelphia during his immense struggle with the heterosexual-supremacists who tore his denomination apart with their prejudice. He was a still and quiet voice in the wilderness that, in the end, will do much more to bring about the end of the oppression of our community than those harsh and unChristlike assaults and insults hurled loudly and smugly by those who suffer from the heterosexual-superiority complex that rules most institutions on Earth.

Name: Mike Raymond
Date posted: 2009-01-12 6:13 PM
Hometown: Seattle

Comment:

Okay... Obama's a good guy, and is a good ally to gay men and women. He doesn't owe the gay community anything and we don't owe him anything. He certainly doesn't owe anything to gays as a group, who by and large supported McCain. He's doing the right thing in choosing Robinson. Re: Rick Warren, it's time to get over it. We (gays) need to get over our kneejerk tendency to attack our allies. His choice of Robinson is a good one. His choice of Rick Warren was dumb. People make mistakes. Get over it. Gays are always quoting the bible about not "throwing the first stone" or judging people, but we are very quick to start throwing stones at Obama and judge him as having all kinds of nasty motives. To my fellow gays I say: get over it, and give the man a chance. Stop the hissy fits about Warren.

Name: Arya Jenkins
Date posted: 2009-01-12 4:33 PM
Hometown: Fort Lee

Comment:

I think Obama's move is a classy one too. I think Obama is a classy guy. But did he choose Robinson just to be popular, to make up for a class A mistake? I would have been happier had he not chosen Warren at all. Warren's record is despicable where gays and AIDS are concerned. Obama's campaign is thorough enough to know it. Warren would not have been chosen unless Obama stood behind him on key issues. The question of that poor choice remains, and because of it, we should remain driven to stay behind Obama and his administration on LGBT issues. It's time for gays to earn full rights under the law. We should not allow any of our issues to be swept under the rug. Unless we speak out, write out, and stand up for our rights now, we will be in deep trouble. Warren, by the by, for those who don't know, runs the fourth largest church in the country. The dude has power. Obama's selection will only give him more notoriety. He needs to be debunked permanently.

Name: Pilgrim
Date posted: 2009-01-12 3:42 PM
Hometown: Subiaco

Comment:

To Billy Jensen Romans 2 1. Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4. Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5. But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6. who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: The act of unkindness is a deed which will be accounted for.

Name: Billy Jensen
Date posted: 2009-01-12 3:08 PM
Hometown: Portland, Maine

Comment:

This fellow who calls himself a Christian pastor is nothing more than a fake. How dare he say he is a man of God when he openly denies God's Words? My Bible states in many chapters how God dislikes and codemns homosexuality. How does Robinson teach the Word of God? Does he totally skip the sections that preach against him and his homosexuality? Does he state that God lied about those parts of the Bible? Does he have a special "Gay" Bible? I'd love to know how he dares to call himself a Christian? He is destined for hell along with all you other homosexuals. Don't try to tell me anything other than you are all wrong. Shame on you all.

Name: Joseph
Date posted: 2009-01-12 2:44 PM
Hometown: Montgomery, AL

Comment:

Just out of curiosity, how the hell can there be ANY ceremony relating to Obama's inauguration TWO DAYS before he's sworn in? Like it or not, Bush will STILL be President the day that Rev Robinson offers his invocation for the "inauguration's opening ceremony" which really renders this to be little more than a non-event. I suppose this is what we should all expect of the Obama Presidency: Lots of ceremonies which mean absolutely nothing. The man wasted millions of dollars on what amounted to a coronation ceremony at the Democratic Convention and now, he's doing the same thing in Washington DC. No wonder this piece of Chicago slime admires Ronald Reagan. Oh, by the way, this does NOT make up for the Warren invite.

Name: Dr. Mekah Gordon, Ph.D.
Date posted: 2009-01-12 1:58 PM
Hometown: Santa Fe, NM

Comment:

"Common Sense" prevails, over Rose Colored Glasses! Denying Unequivocal Equality, along with Basic Human, and Civil Rights inclusion, for those labeled as being "Different" within our society, is Unconscionable, & Unacceptable. Victims of violence, hatred, discrimination, bias, and unprogressive judgment, must never be subjected too, and/or segregated as isolated entities, for the same inalienable liberties, from those who fervently pursue identical freedoms! ~Dr. Mekah Gordon, Ph.D. The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. ~Dante (1265-1321)

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.

Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.

Hungry Like the Wolf
A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.

Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.

The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.

Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.

The Pride of Antwerp
Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.

Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.

Top Political Blogs
From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.

The Diva of French Television
A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.