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State Greens Insist Obama Un-Invite Anti-Gay Pastor; Suggest Dems

The Green Party of California - noting the Democratic Party's national platform does not support same sex marriage - is demanding that President-elect Obama un-invite pro-Prop 8 pastor Rick Warren to perform the invocation for the Obama inauguration.

Further, Greens charged, it quite possibly was the mixed message sent from the Democratic Party, and the President-elect himself that contributed to the passage of Prop. 8 in California - which bans same sex marriage - despite Obama's landslide victory here.

"The Green Party in California has supported same sex marriage since it first published its platform in 1992. Not so for the Democratic Party. That ambiguity of the Democrats led to confusion on Prop. 8 among voters," said Shane Que Hee, GPCA Platform co-coordinator.

"The national Democratic Party platform does not explicitly support same sex marriage, and only this year did the California Democratic Party put it in their platform. That should speak volumes. No one should be surprised by the President-elect, who does not support same-sex marriage explicitly, and only opposed Prop. 8 on state's rights reasons," he said.

The Green Party of the United States has echoed the call by the California Green Party, asking that if President-elect Barack Obama calls himself a "fierce advocate for equality" for gay people, why has he invited Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration?

Greens said the choice of Pastor Warren signals that Obama may repeat the Clinton Administration's approach to gay rights. Clinton, taking gay support for granted, signed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act into law that defended marriage exclusively for heterosexuals, and authorized the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' military policy. Obama's opposition to full same-sex marriage rights suggests he does not believe in full and equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

Others have suggested Pastor Warren's biases go further, noting his statement that members of the Jewish community and "non-Christians" will be denied "salvation."