Inclusion of Antigay Reverend Rick Warren in Obama Inauguration Alienates LGBTs, Progressives

When Barack Obama's team announced that antigay, conservative Reverend Rick Warren had been selected to deliver the invocation at his inauguration in January, progressives and LGBTs immediately took to the Web with demands Obama rescind his decision. A day after the announcement, the founder and senior pastor of California's Saddleback Church -- a vocal supporter of Prop. 8 -- is all anyone in progressive media seems to be talking about.

Moments after the announcement was made, The Huffington Post went wild with op-eds calling for Obama to remove Warren from the inauguration. The Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to President-elect Obama Wednesday expressing their disappointment in the selection of Warren.

"Our loss in California over the passage of Proposition 8 which stripped loving, committed same-sex couples of their given legal right to marry is the greatest loss our community has faced in 40 years," the letter reads. "And by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table."

Equality California followed with an e-mail blast to supporters with a petition calling on Obama to "immediately rescind this despicable invitation."

AmericaBlog's John Aravosis put it perhaps most simply: "Picking Rick Warren to give THE invocation is abominable."

Even ardent Obama supporters seem to be up in arms. Progressive radio talk-show host Stephanie Miller -- an Obama supporter from day one -- took issue with the decision, saying he could have made a better choice. She told callers this morning that in light of eight years of a Bush administration and the passing of Prop. 8, having Warren deliver the invocation felt like a big slap in the face.

Anderson Cooper 360 devoted a segment to the outrage from progressives following the announcement. An Obama spokeswoman told Cooper that "while the president-elect disagrees with Warren on gay rights issues, he wants this to be the most inclusive inauguration ever."