Editors Thoughts on the Obama/Warren Debate

I realize the issue of Rick Warren delivering the invocation at Obama’s inauguration is not breaking news.  In fact, I may be quite dated in speaking about it.  However, I intentionally decided to wait, to make sure I knew exactly how I felt about this before I comments.  Being that I feel the same about it today, as the day it was announced, I feel safe is saying I’m not going to change my view.

As much as I personally do not like Rick Warren, I am not upset about his being invited to provide the invocation at Obama’s inauguration.  Yes, here is a man who I see to be extremely homophobic, thinks gay marriage is equal to pedophilia and incest, and who honestly, makes me a little ill, but just like everyone else, he is human.  Whether we like it or not, we share this earth with the likes of Rick Warren.

I would never attempt to speak for the entire LGBT community, but I will speak for myself and state that what I really want is inclusion and equality.  Now I can not justify in my mind exclusion of anyone if I want inclusion.  I realize many of Warren’s statements are perhaps misguided, but realistically, I feel this is an issue of education, not hate.  I do not put Rick Warren in the same light as James Dobson, Fred Phelps, or so many others who spew hateful rhetoric about the LGBT community.  I honestly believe this man means well, but again, simply is not educated on LGBT issues.

Now, if we as a community push him away even further for not sharing the same views we have, then how could we ever expect him, or others like him move closer to understanding and ultimately reaching the goal of inclusion.  I realize with Prop 8 and Amendments 2 and 102, tensions are high right now, be we can’t afford to let our emotions misguide us.  We need to take a step back, take a deep breath and move forward.  Those things are in the past and we can’t change the past.  We can however shape the future by what we do today.

When it comes to trying to understand those who oppose us, it can be very difficult.  But I have a method which often works for me.  I call it the “beach ball theory”.  If I am standing in front of a giant beach ball, and you are standing opposite of me, then perhaps I see the ball to be blue and yellow, and you see the ball to be green and red.  Now we can argue back and forth all day that the ball is blue and yellow, and green and red, and we can stand up for what we know is right (after all, from my side the ball is blue and yellow).  However, its not until we are able to work together and turn that ball around, that we can start to see the other colors and start to understand that if it wasn’t for all four colors, that is wouldn’t be a ball at all.  Sometimes we get so caught up in knowing we’re right, we forget to take into consideration that two halves make a whole.

Now, not to say that my side of the ball won’t always be blue and yellow, and your side may always be red and green, but as long as we can see the whole, there won’t be anything to argue about.  OK, Your side is red and green, my side is blue and yellow.

I realize this may seem simplistic in thought, but I feel strongly there is a great deal of truth to the point, which is we don’t always have to agree, or even see each other’s side, just as long as we can accept that we each have a side, and respect each other’s views, there won’t be anything to disagree about, and that, is inclusion.

One last thought for those of you who feel completely abandoned by Obama’s decision to include the opposition in his inauguration (let’s not forget this is the first inauguration and all gay band is performing in).  Its time to let it go.  This is NOT going to matter 10 minutes, 10 hours, or 10 days after its done.  Rick Warren delivering the invocation is not taking anything away from us.  Obama, getting all of us to hold hands and work together, will affect the rest of our lives!