Call for a gay poet to speak at Obama's inauguration

Gay poet Mark Doty, whose collection Fire to Fire won the National Book Award for Poetry

As January nears the buzz around the inauguration ceremony for our next President — which will be one of the Nation's most historic — grows louder and more persistent, particularly regarding the representation of various groups in the ceremonies.

Gays and lesbians of course would of course like to be represented in the event, especially after the passing of Prop 8 dampened the excitement of Barack Obama's victory for many. And already the news is promising: For one, we've learned that Obama has invited a gay marching band to march in his inaugural parade, making it the first time an LGBT group has done so.

Now a call is out for the President-elect's camp to invite a gay poet to speak at the ceremony. Readings by poets are not uncommon at the swearings-in of Democratic Presidents (Bill Clinton notably invited Maya Angelou, JFK welcomed Robert Frost) and should Obama elect to feature a poet at his ceremony, inviting a celebrated LGBT poet for the occasion would send a tremendous message of support for ongoing civil rights causes.

The man behind the campaign, novelist K.M. Soehnlein, feels that National Book Award recipient Mark Doty would be a good fit, while some of his readers feel that lesbian U.S. poet laureate Kay Ryan would be a perfect pick.

Sounds like a great idea to us. Spread the word, and if you have any great LGBT poets in mind who you think would make a perfect speaker at the ceremony, share them in the comments!