President-elect Barack Obama has added fuel to the gay activists' fire by inviting the Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration.
Warren made headlines in August when he hosted Obama and Sen. John McCain at his Saddleback Church in California. He also endorsed California's marriage-protection amendment, which has fueled protests and violence from the gay community since its passage in November.
Joe Solmonese, president of the gay-activist Human Rights Campaign, said Obama has "tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table."
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said: "It's nice to see a conservative evangelical pastor play such a prominent role in such an important event.
"It underscores the importance of evangelicalism in the country," he told The Associated Press.
— Jennifer Mesko
