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HBO doesn’t air Robinson’s prayer
January 19th, 2009In what some are characterizing as an intentional snub, HBO didn’t air openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson’s invocation yesterday prior to the the pre-inaugural “We Are One” concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Bloggers today are speculating that the move was intentional, because the network wanted to avoid controversy. They are also urging people to contact HBO and complain. If you’ll remember, the selection of Robinson to deliver the prayer was considered an olive branch to the LGBT community after President-elect Obama chose evangelical Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration itself. What do you think?
(The above video of Robinson’s prayer was provided via YouTube by Christianity Today. You can read a transcript of Robinson’s remarks on the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire’s Web site.)
UPDATE: To read HBO’s initial response, go here.
UPDATE NO. 2: Leah McElrath Renna has the latest in The Huffington Post. Basically, both HBO and the Presidential Inaugural Committee are denying responsibility for the fact that Robinson’s remarks were excluded from the broadcast. Also, NPR has picked up this story, and audio of their interview with Robinson reportedly will be posted on their Web site at 5 p.m. Central time.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:30 am
It wasn’t HBO.
HBO was scheduled to start their broadcast at 2:30PM. They did. On the dot.
The Obama people who produced the event placed Bishop Robinson before the broadcast started. If the Obama people had put Bishop Robinson at 2:30PM, he would have opened the program.
Once again, Obama slaps us around. What’s worse, if I had done what Obama did to Bishop Robinson, my mamma would have grounded me a month.
Obama should be ashamed.
The only solution is to make it more expensive politically to attack and insult us than it is to treat us with the same respect and dighity as everyone else.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Fine by me.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:47 am
“bless this nation with anger?” ooo kay…I ‘m sure God will get right on that it…..this guy has a pretty long “to do” list for God…well maybe his god….has no problem taking orders
January 19th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Who cares about hearing a filthy f.a.g.g.o.t praying to his purportedly openly gay god, anyhow? Let him eat dust-mites and any other excrement as he wishes; just don’t tell me or show me – let him live in his intra-sexular cesspool with the lid affixed so I don’t have to barf.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Wow, Wally– don’t hold back, tell us how you really feel? That way, the sane and rational among us can see plainly what a vicious, mindless hater looks like.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Well, God makes gay people, too, so isn’t it okay for them to pray to their creator like anyone else?
January 19th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Planet of the Apes a former sci-fi movie will now air as a reality show on all major networks 24/7.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Wally, you are one sick puppy.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Bishop Gene Robinson is not a bishop… is not a holy man. Bishops bring their flock together… Robinson has, for personal reasons and personal depraved pride, split the Episcopal church into hundreds of little splinters. I think Obama is elevating him because that is what all good Muslims would do… make a hero our of someone who smears the Christian faith.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Geoff would have had a great post if he’d stopped just before “Once again…” (just say the facts and let others draw their conclusions). And I think Wally doth protest too much…
January 19th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Obviously the country is not ready for such a progressive speech to LEAD the inauguration. Proposition 8 was shot down in California and a majority of other states do not allow same sex marriage. The reality is that the majority of Americans are uneducated, ignorant and intolerant of anyone who is ‘different’ than they are. Hopefully this administration will promote tolerance and the country at large will start to resist the bigoted influence of the fundamentalist “Christians” who would have us believe that god hates.
Re:Wally… You have a completely ridiculous and sick view of what it means to be gay.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
HBO confirmed that it was the Obama transition team that put Robinson off the show. It really makes them look bad….I’m not sure what’s going on over there.
Most folks, like Wally, who really dislike gay people do seem to have some kindof sexual fixation with their own perception of gay sex. It’s pretty skewed and pretty sad. Equality means equal rights for those you don’t like or agree with. Even Stalin gave equal rights to the people he liked and agreed with!
January 19th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
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January 19th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Obama has called himself a “fierce advocate” for gay rights. Yeah, yeah, yeah — talk is cheap! Just like most the spineless Democrats, he is a “fierce advocate” for our second-class citizenship — proved by his repeated statement that he believes “marriage is only between a man and a woman . . .” Same old same old. In the end, centrist Democrats like Obama take our votes for granted, then throw us under the bus — over and over and over again. Political expediency is what Obama cares about. I’m still waiting for a courageous leader who champions equallity under the law for all citizens.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I’m gonna assume that no one actually watched the video b/c you seem to be quite busy bitchin about who’s to blame for this HBO/transiton team fiasco. Moving prayer and I hope this video spreads within the LGBT community b/c the bishop not only called out Obama’s duties to this country but our own.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
[...] Robinson, who is openly gay. Many are speculating the snub was intentional to avoid controversy. Instant Tea » Blog Archive » HBO doesn’t air Robinson’s prayer HBO said in a statement that it was not at fault – that it was the Presidential Inaugural [...]
January 19th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Robinson delivered a speech not a prayer. I support Robinson but this epistle would be better formatted as an editorial.
January 19th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
An excerpt from my message to HBO:
“Why was Episcopal Bishop V Gene Robinson omitted from HBO’s coverage of the pre-Inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial?
“Does the “H” in HBO for Homophobe?
“You should have done better. C’mon. It’s not like HBO plays it safe! How controversial can a gay bishop be, anyway? Grow some balls, HBO.”
January 19th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Well, it IS surprising to me to realize that so many people why are gay are so religious that they feel “snubbed” because a gay clergyman is not in the spotlight of our national celebration of a new President.
Who knew that so many gay people were so religious that they would feel disenfranchised by a President-Elect’s choice? I always thought their fight was for simple civil rights. I had NO IDEA that they were attempting to revolutionize Christianity!
I think they should make a point of educating the nation to their religious requirements and their demands to be brought into Christianity. Of course, they should separate “church from state” and make clear that they are without dignity unless ALL the Christian churches, everywhere, accept them, bless them, and dignify them with the sacrament of these Churches.
Really, when you think about it, which is more important: civil rights or Christian Rights?
January 19th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I have to say that I was there yesterday and it wasn’t projected into the crowd either. We literally were only able to hear the last few words of the prayer. Not that I’m trying to come to HBO’s defense, but I think it may have been a technical difficulty. There were other tech problems throughout the concert…just sayin’
January 19th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
[...] the inauguration of Barack Obama with a spirit of unity. But for those of us watching at home, one participant was excluded — Gene Robinson, the “first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop in [...]
January 20th, 2009 at 4:59 am
[...] the inauguration of Barack Obama with a spirit of unity. But for those of us watching at home, one participant was excluded — Gene Robinson, the “first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop in [...]
January 21st, 2009 at 6:19 pm
[...] for those of us watching at home, one participant was excluded — Gene Robinson, the “first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop in [...]