Gays losing enthusiasm for Obama

NEW YORK — Gay-rights activists remain hopeful about the Obama presidency but are now more wary after what one called a "double punch to the gut" — the choice of a pastor they consider hostile for a prime inauguration role and dashed hopes for the first openly gay Cabinet member.

Enthusiasm among gays over Barack Obama's election has deflated rapidly in the days since his inaugural organizers announced that the invocation would be delivered by the Rev. Rick Warren, a prominent pastor who backed a recent ballot measure banning same-sex marriage in his home state of California.

The Warren announcement coincided with the final round of Obama's Cabinet selections — confirming that gays on the short list for interior secretary and labor secretary would not get those posts.

"It felt like a double punch to the gut," said Denis Dison of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which supports openly gay political candidates. "People were afraid at that moment — we didn't know what it portended for the administration ahead."

Obama said Warren's selection reflected a desire for diversity at the inauguration and insisted he remained a "fierce advocate" of equal rights for gays.

That advocacy includes support for gay activists' key legislative goals: outlawing workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, expanding the federal hate-crimes law to cover anti-gay violence, extending federal recognition to same-sex partnerships, and repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars service members from openly acknowledging they are gay.

Gay-rights leaders said the furor over Warren might prompt the Obama administration to be more attentive to their concerns, and they will be watchful to see what develops.

"We are prepared to hold feet to the fire on the issues that are critical to our community," said Darlene Nipper, deputy executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "It's our responsibility to stay in the face of the administration."

Before last week, many gay leaders were satisfied with Obama's transition team — there were joint meetings on gay-rights priorities and complimentary remarks when a task force submitted the names of gays and lesbians to be considered for high-level political appointments.