Monday, January 19, 2009
HBO is having none of it. They’re punting the blame squarely back to the Obama inaugural team for scheduling the openly gay Rev. Gene Robinson’s invocation prayer before the start of the broadcast feed.
AfterElton has the details.
I’ve received a number of emails from people imploring me from pushing this story until after the inauguration tomorrow. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. I want an suitable answer from the Obama inaugural team explaining why they scheduled Rev. Gene Robinson before the start of the broadcast feed.
Other relevant bloggers and news organizations covering this story:
Queerty
BoxTurtleBulletin
Mike Tidmus
Joe.My.God
QueersUnited
InLookOut
PamsHouseBlend
CrooksandLiars
TheStranger
Towleroad
GayRights
GetReligion
USAToday
FromtheLeft
TucsonObserver
HuffingtonPost
WashingtonBlade
From the Left 
Christopher, I agree it is a relevant story. The transition team really f*cked up on this one. Just as the whole Warren thing was kinda simmering down and now this. I smell politics, and it is kinda like yeah we hear you but you gays stfu and stop with your belly aching. To me that is more of an insult than inviting Warren.
Don’t you dare drop this. Like Rick says and all the other bloggers covering the diss, it matters, we matter and we won’t be marginalized by worried hets afraid of showing America the dreaded queers.
I feel like we’re in a time warp.
Gay people were controversial in the 1960’s, and the 1970’s, but, all of this began to change in the 1980’s, so why is HBO and the Obama inaugural team being so coy?
Just step up and say it: we (whoever “we” turns out to be) didn’t feel comfortable showing an openly gay Bishop on Sunday afternoon.
HBO is probably shitting bricks. I mean, as a portion of household income, I’m sure more gay men have HBO than straight people because gay men often have more disposable income. HBO knows which side their bread is buttered.
I read HBO went through a management change around the time ‘The Sopranos’ ended their run and they became much less socially progressive.
Anyone else heard this? If true, it could explain a lot.
We should realize that the Obama administration is as untrustworthy as the Clinton administration was.
We deserve answers, just as we need to know why Obama decided to let a Nazi pray at his Inauguration. These are relevant questions.
Obama claims to want to bring us together, yet all I see is pandering to the Jesusistanis. I’m quite concerned, and have been for some time now.
Thanks for not dropping this, Christopher. The only way we will get ahead is by fighting every fucking step. The only way.
Christopher, I appreciate you noting all the bloggers & news org. that are also covering this but personally all I need is you & From The Left.
As a heterosexual minority woman with close gay friends I may not be in the immediate circle but I hear and sympathize with the constant struggles THIS minority group deals with on a day to day basis….seemingly the last group with a platform or the smallest one “appropriated” or acknowledged.
I got this curdling feeling in the pit of my stomach learning of where the true decisions were made regarding HBO’s braodcast even though I don’t recieve HBO and for all I believe in…., volunteered and canvassed for Obama for almost a year, this really makes me sit back and wonder.
Just substitute “gay” Bishop for “black” Bishop and people would rightly screech racism. I find it more than a little odd that the Obama team seems to keep wrestling with the gay issue. I hope Rick Warren, Tim Kaine and now this strange programming error involving Rev. Gene Robinson are anomalies and not an indication of what’s in store for the next four years.
Hey! Here is the link to the recorded prayer.
Apparently someone with a personal cam corder could record the prayer, but HBO was unable to get it broadcast.
There is no reason to not cover this story. It’s valid and relevant and the new administration needs to be transparent. If Obama’s transition team made an honest mistake, just own it. If it is something more, then they need to issue an apology.