It just wouldn’t be a proper Easter Egg Roll without a little controversy. Gay organizations actually got invites to today’s big event at The White House. Read below from The Associated Press:
The White House is allocating tickets for the upcoming Easter Egg Roll to gay and lesbian parents as part of the Obama administration's outreach to diverse communities.
Families say the gesture shows that the new Democratic administration values them as equal to other families. And for many, being included in the annual tradition - dating to 1878 -renews hope that they will have more support in their quest for equal rights in matters such as marriage and adoption than under the previous administration.
White House officials said that tickets for Monday's Easter Egg Roll event were distributed to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organizations, but did not specify how many or to which ones. Representatives from Family Equality Council, Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and other groups confirmed they were invited and encouraged to have their members participate.
"The Obama administration actually reached out to us as an organization, and said we want gay families there, and they are an important part of the American family fabric," said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Boston-based Family Equality Council, which is helping spearhead the effort to organize families to attend. Chrisler said Tuesday she expects more than 100 gay and lesbian-headed families to take part in the egg roll. It's not the first time gay and lesbian-headed families will participate. In 2006 during the Bush administration, more than 100 gay parents attended the egg roll in part to make the statement that they should be welcome. Some conservatives accused gays and lesbians of trying to "crash" the event and turn it into forum for ideological politicking.
This year already feels different, said Colleen Gillespie of Brooklyn, who helped spark the 2006 effort. "We feel so welcomed and embraced, and that in a very real way, I think we can just go as a family and enjoy it," said the 42-year-old assistant professor at New York University's school of medicine, who is attending with her wife and their daughters, Ella and Zelda. "We don't have to fight for our right to exist and be treated fairly."
Nobody should be surprised by this move. It fits Obama’s inclusive tone. But just asking: Gay and lesbian activists always champion the idea of “equal rights”. Conservative Evangelicals say it’s more like “special rights”. By seeking out gay and lesbian organizations for the event, does that feel more like special or equal rights?
The move seems like an olive branch to the gay community especially after the whole Rick Warren flap.