U.S. presidential inauguration

Gay students find hope in Obama, question Warren

When U.S. President Barack Obama invited Reverend Rick Warren to speak at his inauguration, gay students had something to say about it

While most students packed into campus bars and common rooms to watch U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony, Elizabeth Bugbee and Justin LeBlanc sat in the DalOUT office, the headquarters for Dalhousie’s gay, bi, lesbian and transgender society.

From there they saw the ceremony on their computer screen, watching as the first black president was sworn in. Obama had asked Rev. Rick Warren to give a prayer at the event. Warren is the head of the Saddleback church in California, a mega-church which regularly brings in almost 20,000 attendees.

Warren is also strongly against gay marriage and has compared homosexuality to incest and pedophilia.

So while watching Obama's inauguration was a happy event for Bugbee and LeBlanc, it was tinged with disappointment.

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Rev. Rick Warren at Saddleback church. Photo: Wikimedia author 'All About You God'

“(Obama) has run on the idea of equality for everybody, but having a homophobic reverend there -- it’s countering what he stands for,” LeBlanc said.

Creative protest

When Obama’s choice was first announced there was a backlash from the gay community. Sex columnist Dan Savage encouraged people attending the inauguration not to throw shoes or start fights, but instead protest Warren’s involvement in a more peaceful way, such as waving rainbow flags during Warren’s speech.

Bugbee thinks this is a great idea. The night before Obama’s inauguration she had gone to see the film ‘Milk.’ She thinks gay people today could take a cue from Harvey Milk, the first openly gay American politician.

“He said ‘It’s time to come out, and be out and be gay.’ I do think it’s important to be visible. Not start a riot, but be visible.”

Still a lot of conservative mind-sets

When asked if they think they’ll see a gay president in their lifetime, both of them smile grimly and shake their heads.

“The U.S. isn’t as open as they would like to appear,” LeBlanc said, pointing to Proposition 8, a California ballot proposition voted on during the presidential election. It restricted the definition of marriage to a man and a woman, overruling previous court rulings. Rev. Warren was one of the main proponents of the bill.

“If it couldn’t happen in California, what chance did the rest of the country have?” Leblanc asks.

And they’re not too hopeful about Canada either.

“As open as Canada is, there are a lot of conservative mind-sets,” Bugbee says. For example, while AIDS isn’t seen as a ‘gay disease’ anymore, gay men are still unable to donate blood at Canadian Blood Services.

But they both agree that Obama’s signing in is a huge step, Rev. Warren or not.

“Our generation is going to change stuff,” Justin says.

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