[Marxism] Black gay activists: Ebenezer should dump Warren as MLK Day speaker

[Adam Richmond <adambrichmond@xxxxxxxxx>]

Black gay activists protest Rick Warren's invite to speak at the historic 
Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.  The controversy continues.
Adam

LOCAL | www.sovo.com
Black gay activists: Ebenezer should dump Warren as MLK Day speaker 

Speech at Atlanta church set for day before Obama’s inauguration
By LAURA DOUGLAS-BROWN 

Jan. 02, 2009
The Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition last week called on Ebenezer Baptist
Church, the historic church where Dr. Martin Luther King served as
pastor, to remove Pastor Rick Warren as the keynote speaker for its
upcoming MLK Day service. 



“Rev. Warren’s hateful opposition to civil rights for lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender people and reproductive rights for women, and
his intolerance of diversity contradict the values of freedom and
equality that this day represents,” the group said in a Dec. 24 press
release.



The coalition called on Ebenezer’s pastor, Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, to
rescind the invitation to Warren to speak at the Jan. 19 service.



The church did not respond to an interview request by press time.



“Bestowing Rev. Warren such a prominent role does not foster greater
understanding between divided communities. Instead it drives more
wedges between disenfranchised communities that are continually pitted
against each other by the agents of racism and homophobia,” the gay
coalition said.



Held each year to commemorate the national holiday honoring King, the
church service at Ebenezer attracts media, politicians and civil rights
leaders from around the nation. Last year, then-Democratic hopeful
Barack Obama spoke to the church the day before the national holiday,
delivering a rousing call to responsibility that included a challenge
to black churches to renounce homophobia.



Obama told the mostly black audience that “our own community has not
always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community,” in part
because “we have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of
embracing them.”



This year’s MLK Day service takes place the day before Obama will be
inaugurated as the nation’s first African-American president. Warren,
pastor of California’s Saddleback Community Church and author of “The
Purpose Driven Life,” has also been tapped by Obama to give the 
invocation at his Jan. 20 inauguration, sparking outrage from gay
activists who note Warren’s vocal opposition to gay marriage.



 “I don’t know what Rev. Warnock’s motives are. I do know that the
invitation is an affront to queer communities,” Craig Washington, a
leader of the Atlanta coalition, said in an interview. “It does nothing
to unify the community, it drives the wedge deeper. I think Ebenezer,
like Obama, is seeking to find some political currency with the
conservative movement in this country.”



Another group of Atlanta activists is organizing a protest during
Warren’s speech at the church. Jeff Shade is one of the organizers for
the massive Nov. 15 rally at the State Capitol for marriage equality
and the smaller Dec. 13 “All  I Want for Christmas is Equal Rights”
picket at Lenox Mall. Schade said they are organizing another event for
Warren’s visit, although details were not finalized at press time. 



“I’m not exactly sure what direction it will take. Martin Luther King
Day here in Atlanta is a big day, so we’re clearly trying to be
positive, and send the right message,” Schade said. 




      
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