Gay greenbacks from Saddleback pastor

Anti-gay pastor Rick Warren has made Cambridge activist Chris Mason a very happy man.

Angered by President Barack Obama's selection of Warren to deliver his inauguration invocation, Mason started a "Rick-a-thon" to transform Warren's words into money for LGBT advocacy. More than 200 participants pledged money based on how many seconds Warren's invocation lasted to support Driving Equality, a cross-country trip that Mason will make this summer to raise awareness about LGBT rights. When he launched the Rick-a-thon Mason expected Warren to speak for about two minutes, but the controversial pastor spoke for more than four-and-a-half minutes, raising $4197 for Mason's work.

Mason, who attended the inauguration, launched the Rick-a-thon to prevent Warren's invocation from sullying an otherwise joyous event. Warren has built a reputation as a less partisan evangelical pastor, but he was a strong supporter of California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in that state, and in recent interviews he has compared same-sex relationships to polygamy and incest.

Mason's plan worked; he said the fundraising drive made Warren's speech tolerable.

"He was talking about justice for all and talking about being civil to everyone, and justice for all hasn't been his strong suit, but while he was speaking he was raising money for justice for all, so it was kind of poetic justice there," said Mason. "While I was watching him I was smiling. Keep talking."

The Rick-a-thon was not Mason's only activist endeavor during his trip to Washington. D.C. The night before the inauguration he took part in lesbian comedian Kate Clinton's ceremonial saging of the White House to cleanse it of the spirit of the Bush years.

"There were lots of people there, and lots of people had their sage sticks, and it was very cool," said Mason.

The next morning Mason was out of bed at 5 a.m. and in line at the Capitol for a seat at the inauguration an hour later. He and the other earlier risers waited for hours to be seated, but their efforts paid off: Mason said he had a seat about 200 yards away from the podium where Obama took the oath of office.

"It was crazy. Everyone that was there had been waiting in line for five or six hours. We were all happy to be there. Our feet hurt a lot. We were close enough that we could see the podium," said Mason.

Obama may have been cordial to his predecessor during the proceedings, but Mason said he and the attendees sitting near him felt little need to be deferential to George W. Bush. He said when an announcer introduced the various politicos on the stage, Mason and the crowd cheered for former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, stayed silent for the elder George Bush, and booed when the outgoing President Bush arrived.

Mason said the most powerful moment of the inauguration was the swearing-in ceremony.

"His swearing in was very powerful, hearing him say the words, and afterwards the guns or the cannons going off, that was really powerful. It felt like, all right, it's done; we have a new president, and it's awesome," said Mason.