John Aravosis at AmericaBlog applauds the announcement from the Obama Inauguration Committee that a Christian pastor who has preached that homosexuality is a “malfunction” that can be cured (cue Macklemore) has been pulled from the roster of the day’s events. Aravosis:
This statement makes it sound more like Giglio was asked to leave, rather than his having parted ways amicably:
Below is a statement from the Presidential Inaugural Committee on Rev. Giglio’s decision to withdraw from the Inaugural Ceremony:
“We were not aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his selection and they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this Inaugural. Pastor Giglio was asked to deliver the benediction in large part for his leadership in combating human trafficking around the world. As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.“ – Addie Whisenant, PIC Spokesperson
That is a GREAT statement. It’s exactly what we could have asked for. Yes, I’d have preferred that this snafu didn’t happen in the first place. But they fixed it perfectly, directly, head-on with no waffling. I didn’t expect this.
The Rev. Rick Warren, a mainstream Christian born-again minister who believes homosexuality is a sin, gave the invocation at Obama’s first inauguration, prompting outrage in many corners.
After he was elected, Obama famously told interviewers his views on same-sex marriage were “evolving.” In his first term, he signed the Matthew Shepard anti-hate crimes bill, and the repeal of the Clinton-era military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. He also instructed the Justice Department to stop leading prosecutions under the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage act, and issued a Presidential Memorandum barring hospitals that accept Medicare or Medicaid from interfering with the affairs of patients in same-sex marriages or relationships by prohibiting who can visit them and take part in decision-making. In May of last year, Obama said he now supports marriage equality and thinks the country will get there one day soon. He urged legislators in his home state of Illinois to pass a same-sex marriage bill.
That Obama could have done more for the rights of gays and lesbians is a plain fact, but with the extraordinary circumstances in Washington created by a rightwing and opposition party committed to thwarting his every move, and with the economy on the brink, and with extricating the armed forces from two wars launched by his predecessor, he could have done worse too.
Aravosis apparently agrees, at least as far as the handling of Giglio goes. He acknowledges that the statement from the Inauguration Committee left it unclear about whether Giglio was “fired” or left on his own, which is doubtful. Why would a crusader given an opportunity to become rock star famous and have his views heard by the world just pull out on his own?
Either way, it’s smart of someone to to resolve this now. This story was not going away, and it could have gotten much bigger had anyone uncovered anything else Louis Giglio had said that was offensive to gays or any other Democratic constituency. The way you resolve these problems is by nipping them in the bud – either Giglio recants his earlier words, or he walks. And he walked.
Well done all around.
UPDATE: ABC says Giglio pulled his name. Having said that, he could have just easily been shown the door and told he could pull his own name to save face – that’s the way it would have worked.
