The Inauguration of President Obama went off almost without a hitch, at least as far as the LGBT community was concerned.
The hitch, of course, being that HBO failed to broadcast Bishop Gene Robinson’s prayer on Sunday as part of the “We are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration,” a concert event that included Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder, among others. On hand to read historical passages were Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.
Robinson’s prayer was perceived as a salve for gay-rights activists still smarting over the choice of the Rev. Rick Warren (who has repeatedly compared gay marriage to incest, pedophilia and bigamy while stating he supports equal rights for everyone).
In the aftermath, HBO stated that the Presidential Inauguration Committee determined what was “pre-show” and what was “show;” the committee took responsibility and claimed the failure to broadcast the prayer was a “mistake” and it is now included in the HBO coverage. Considering the criticism Obama received for picking Warren, they should have been more careful — and more considerate — about Robinson’s prayer.
On Inauguration Day, The White House Web site switched over promptly at 12:01 p.m., showcasing Obama’s policies and agenda. Included under Civil Rights is a section on “Support for LGBT Community.” Here, it details Obama’s positions on issues such as support for expanded hate-crimes statutes, ending workplace discrimination, providing civil unions and expanding adoption rights, and opposition to a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Curiously, under this LGBT heading, it also lists “Promote AIDS Prevention” and “Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS.” In the former, it states that homophobia contributes to the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, but the rest is dedicated to information suited to the greater community, including contraception and needle-exchange programs.
For this latter section, also listed elsewhere under the “Women” section, the connection to the sexual-minority community is only tangential (e.g., women who have sex with men who have sex with men).
As HIV/AIDS can no longer be considered a gay men’s disease (not for many years now), this is not the best way to promote the new administration’s policies and agenda on the issue.
It would have been better as a section under healthcare or a separate public health section, or even a formal HIV/AIDS policy page.