The President of the United States of America

I know it isn't the politically correct thing to say but I really don't care right now. I'm gayed out this week. I know some gay people. Some I love, some I like, and some I absolutely can't stand but my feelings about being gay in general aren't what's making me so irritable this week. Yesterday I heard first thing in the morning on CNN, heard on my way to work on NPR, and read from my desk online at work about many folks in the LGBT community being angry with President-Elect, Barack Obama, for choosing Rick Warren to do the invocation at his Presidential Inauguration. The recurring themes I saw, heard, and read were, "We feel this is a personal attack" , "How could he do this to us when we supported and rallied for his presidential win?", "Doesn't he realize what he is doing to us with his choice? Rick Warren doesn't approve of our lifestyle", and my favorite, "How can he pick him when he supported Proposition 8?" And, to be as fair as I can be in my current mood, I understand that the LGBT community is pretty pissed off about the prospect of being denied the right to legally marry in California and were I the one being impacted, I'd be angry too. I recognize and understand that many of them feel disrespected and slighted. I get it. I really do. However, when will people wake up and realize that Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the United States of America? He is not the President-Elect of Gay America or Black America or Financially Challenged America or Rich America. He is the the President-Elect and soon to be President of the United States of America. He didn't run on a platform to champion all gay issues or all black issues. He ran on a platform of issues that impact all Americans and the sooner folks start to understand that, the better they will fair over the next four years. One of the things Obama fought so hard against during his campaign was the possibility of being beholden to special interest groups. While most of us hear that word and think about big oil companies, Hollywood producers, and evangelicals (by the way, where did that term come from? It seems synonymous with "snobby white man who thinks he knows what's best for everyone else"), it doesn't just stop there. It includes LGBT organizations and groups like the NAACP who represent certain cross-sections of the American population and their interests. It seems to me that if we really believe in what this man represents, we will back off a bit and let him do his job for the American people as a whole. It seems completely wrong to me to lord our votes over the man while trying to manipulate him to bend to our will. Besides, doesn't it seem hypocritical to attempt to make the President-Elect force the sort of behavior and thought process on a man that the LGBT community seems to already be fighting against everyday? How can I passionately argue for equality as long as it only applies to people who look like and live like me without appearing to be the biggest hypocrite ever? And since when is who delivers the invocation at a Presidential inauguration so extremely important? Why is persecution of someone for his beliefs okay as long as he thinks the opposite of a certain group of people? I thought this was America. One of the many things that makes it such a great place to be is the fact that we aren't all being forced to think and act the same way. We get to use our minds and make our own decisions whether it be one regarding who we share a bed with or where we worship on Sundays if we choose to worship at all. We get to choose what bubble to fill in when it's time to vote for a ballot measure, proposition, and those running for public office. These are the things that make America great and how can we possibly say we love these freedoms when we don't protect them for all people and yes, that means even the ones who don't think the way we do. I don't think Obama should have to go through a gay checklist before allowing any person to do a job for him in the White House or at his personal parties. And while I'm quite sure I will be blacked out, democrated out, republicaned out, and evangelicaled out many times before the end of the next four years, I still believe we must allow ourselves to think the way we believe while opening ourselves up to respectful and thoughtful dialogue from people with opposing thoughts. In the meantime, let's leave the running of our country to the future President of the United States of America.