Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and People for the American Way have come out against the White House's invitation to former NFL coach Tony Dungy to serve on the advisory council to the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (OFBNP). In 2007, Dungy appeared at a fundraiser for the Indiana Family Institute, the state's Focus on the Family affiliate, and campaigned for a constitutional same-sex marriage ban.
While it is indeed abominable that Obama seems to think it's A-OK to elevate the profile of homophobes (e.g. Rick Warren), this is about more than just the opposition of LGBT rights activists to the invitation. The real issue is that someone's expressed religious faith provides them cover for bigotry. By portraying their input as valuable to the policymaking process, the OFBNP is placing an imprimatur on the members of its advisory council. (And what kind of policy experience does this former football coach have in any event?)
Whether the council's input does turn out to be valuable in the White House's eyes, or whether the members are pawns in a political game, remains to be seen. The core concern is that the White House's approval institutionalizes the cover that religion gives people like Dungy for their hostility to their fellow citizens.
--Sarah Posner
