If you were channel surfing to catch HBO’s inaugural concert coverage at the Lincoln Memorial where openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson delivered the invocation, you didn’t see him. 
Remember, this was the supposed salve on the wound to the LGBT community for the upcoming high-profile appearance of Rick Warren at the actual inauguration on Tuesday, which will be seen by millions and will float out there on YouTube in perpetuity. I had no illusions that Robinson’s appearance would reach the same level of exposure as Warren’s, but damn—no broadcast of it at all? That’s just freaking rich.
Leah McElrath Renna at HuffPost reports that some fundies showed up to protest Robinson’s appearance. These folks were “Brother Ruben and the Official Street Preachers” since they didn’t even bother to come up with original signs.
With a diverse and otherwise joyous crowd of adults and children of all ages streaming by, the three protest participants shouted about hate, hell and “homo-sex” - using a megaphone to assert that “homosexuals are eternally damned” and “Jesus doesn’t love homosexuals.”
On its website, the group claims to “preach a loving message to sodomites. We tell them the truth, that unless they repent they shall likewise perish in Hell Fire!”
Kenny Yum of the Canada’s National Post was liveblogging the event and reported that many there couldn’t even hear Robinson (mic problems?) and were shouting “We can’t hear you.”
The exclusion from the broadcast was a decision made by the Obama Presidential Inaugural team,
not the cable network
, btw (AfterElton):
Contacted Sunday night by AfterElton.com concerning the exclusion of Robinson’s prayer, HBO said via email, “The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show.” Uncertain as to whether or not that meant that HBO was contractually prevented from airing the pre-show, we followed up, but none of the spokespeople available Sunday night could answer that question with absolute certainty. However, it does seem that the network’s position is that they had nothing to do with the decision.
Sarah Pulliam of Christianity Today did shoot video and posted it:
UPDATE (1/19. 3:30 PM ET): HBO, Presidential Inaugural Committee still pointing fingers over invisible Robinson invocation
Via Leah McElrath Renna @ HuffPost:
Coming on the heels of the controversy caused by selection of Rick Warren to deliver the Invocation at the Inauguration, the omission of the prayer delivered by openly-gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson from the broadcast of the pre-Inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial is creating a controversy of its own.
In a conversation with this writer, Jeff Cusson, Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs for HBO, confirmed that HBO was not involved in the decision to move Bishop Robinson’s remarks to a time prior to the beginning of the actual broadcast:
“HBO had no involvement in the scheduling of those who appeared as part of the televised event. You’ll have to talk to PIC about all of the scheduling decisions. We had a set broadcast time and went forth accordingly.”
I just received a statement from the Obama camp/Presidential Inaugural Committee:
“We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson’s invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday’s program. We regret the error in executing this plan – but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event,” said PIC communications director Josh Earnest.
Take that for what it’s worth.
Bishop Robinson was on NPR’s Talk of the Nation today. The audio, according to the web site, will be up around 6PM ET.
I thought I’d run some reactions from the blogosphere…
Lisa Derrick of La Figa:
I got off of the plane from LA to DC, rushed to my friend’s house, ordered Chinese take out, tuned to HBO—and WTF?! They edited out Bishop Robinson! No Bishop Robinson?! Why? We can speculate, they can prevaricate, but they did this, and it sucks, and if this is act symbolizes the opening of Obama’s administration, as handled by corporate media, America, we are fucked.
Jim Burroway, Box Turtle Bulletin:
[B]y pointing out that Rev. Robinson’s invocation would come at the start of the HBO-aired live concert in front of one of America’s best-loved memorials, this high-profile announcement was portrayed as a separate-but-almost-equal bookend to Warren’s invocation at the Capital steps.
Well, except it turned out not to be nearly so equal. In yet another deep insult to injury, HBO did not air Rev. Robinson’s invocation. The salve to the gay community meant to calm the outrage over Warren’s selection was for naught.
Could it be that the American media has finally decided these public events should be 100% secular? Don’t count on it, friends, because you know as well as I do that pop-pastor Rick Warren will be front and center and at full volume to kick off President-Elect Obama’s formal Inauguration on Tuesday.
When you’re throwing folks a bone it’s a good idea to make sure they can, you know, see the bone.
More at: Joe.My.God, Good As You, Queerty and many more.
If you want to read Robinson’s prayer in full, it’s below the fold.