01/19/2009
Gay Protesters Greet Rick Warren At MLK Service
Evangelical leader Rick Warren faced a horde of gay protesters today as he entered an Atlanta church to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Via the Washington Blade:
Several dozen gay rights activists braved chilly temperatures Monday morning to counter Rev. Rick Warren's keynote address at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemorative Service at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. As churchgoers and political leaders filled the Ebenezer sanctuary, protesters led by the Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition and GLBT ATL carried signs including "We still have a dream. Equality," proclaiming Warren incompatible with the slain civil rights leader's dream of fairness and justice for all people. Other progressive activists joined in the effort, with signs decrying war and bigotry, and supporting equal marriage rights.
"On a cold morning, I think it is right to stand in protest of the King Center's choice," said Atlanta resident Duncan Teague. “Warren not only compares women having an abortion to Nazis, and pro-choice supporters to holocaust deniers, but he also opposed the right of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and queer folk to marriage, as well as [admittance] to his church,” Craig Washington, a founding member of the Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition, said at a press conference last week officially announcing the MLK Day protest. “These views, these words, are acts of oppression,” Washington said. “They are incompatible with the dream of the beloved community Martin Luther King envisioned, and the spirit with which Coretta Scott King founded the King Center.”
Organizers of the event defended their invitation to Warren, citing his work on poverty, global warming, and AIDS. However, we know the real story about Warren's AIDS work, don't we?
Posted 2:39 PM EST by Joe Jervis in Activism, Inauguration, Martin Luther King, Jr., Religion, Rick Warren | Permalink
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Great stuff.
I wish I could have been at that protest myself (but unfortunately am far from Atlanta).
Posted by: Hap | Jan 19, 2009 3:14:24 PM
So gays were protesting outside of a church service honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Great, that ought endear Black people to the Gays even more...
Posted by: LightningLord | Jan 19, 2009 3:30:26 PM
I too am tiring of the anti-Warren folks... The guy is here to stay.
Come to think of it, they should protest Obama, as he doesn't support gay marriage, but civil unions. Funny- a black man being prejudiced. Let them protest THAT.
Posted by: Drew | Jan 19, 2009 3:54:09 PM
I'm tired of the protesting and the whining.
We have elected a Democrat. Someone who is going to advance a Gay positive agenda.
For eight years we had a fool who hated everything we stood for in office.
None of you had the courage to stand up to him.
You're going to try to sink Obama in the first 100 days the way you did Clinton.
I for one hope he resists every temptation.
Posted by: Ray | Jan 19, 2009 4:58:39 PM
I find it very fitting, and thank those protesters for being there...
Posted by: rickp | Jan 19, 2009 5:12:21 PM
And right behind them were the people for fat acceptance protesting gays for calling Warren fatso.
Posted by: anon | Jan 19, 2009 5:26:41 PM
Let me add that the protest was led by gay African Americans.
Posted by: Mel Smith | Jan 19, 2009 6:45:38 PM
What has AIDS got to do with being gay? AIDS is a disease that can affect anyone. By citing concern for AIDS, right wingers are disguising their contempt for gay people. It's a clever disguise designed to pull attention away from their anti-gay agenda. Sadly, we gays are often gullible enough to fall for it.
Posted by: jason | Jan 19, 2009 6:51:39 PM
Sorry it was only a couple dozen protestors. I'd have been there if I didn't live thousands of miles away. Is this idiot Obama's smoke boy like
Dobson was for Bush on his speed-dial. "Hey Rick, we need some smoke. Quick, say somthing controversial about the homos. Remember the innauguration invite. You owe me bigtime."
I'm not (yet) anti-Obama but just sayin' who will be the next tender of the smoke screen. I would totally bet we find down the line that the Phelps Clan was on the White House payroll.
Posted by: Castaway | Jan 19, 2009 7:24:29 PM
Thanks for pointing that out, MEL.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jan 20, 2009 1:54:25 PM