Kathryn Kolbert claims it’s a “big lie” to argue that legal recognition of homosexual “marriage” could compromise the rights of religious leaders to speak out against homosexuality.

Evangelical pastor Rick Warren has made that argument.

So according to Kolbert, president of People for the American Way, that’s a major reason why President-elect Barack Obama should revoke his invitation for Warren to speak at next month’s presidential inauguration.

Here’s what Kolbert said on the matter, in a commentary published today by CNN:

“And [Warren] has repeated one of the Religious Right’s big lies: that somehow allowing marriage equality to stand would have threatened the freedom of preachers like him to say what they thought about homosexuality. That’s not remotely true, but it’s a standard tool of Religious Right leaders trying to resist the public’s increasing support for equality.

“In other words, Warren has been divisive and dishonest on the issues of marriage equality and religious freedom — and on other issues important to many Obama supporters, as well.”

To the Daily Blog, it seems somewhat puzzling and contradictory that a woman who leads a group that claims to support “equality and freedom of speech and religion” is offering this argument in the context of why she thinks Warren should not be allowed to speak at the inauguration ceremony.

And like Pastor Warren, we think there’s strong reason to believe that suppression of the right of religious leaders to oppose homosexuality is a goal of the homosexual-rights movement — right up alongside their drive to persuade courts and legislatures to legalize same-sex “marriage” over the objections of most Americans.

— Tom McFeely