Fox News will host a debate on gay
marriage between Ted Olson and Tony Perkins.
Olson represented plaintiff couples in
cases challenging restrictive marriage bans in California and
Virginia. He won both those cases.
Perkins is the president of the
Christian conservative Family Research Council (FRC).
“Both sides in the same-sex marriage
debate are looking to the Supreme Court as it decides whether or not
to weigh in on the issue,” Fox News said in a press release
announcing the Fox News Sunday debate. “The High Court is
set to discuss cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, and
decide whether to rule on petitions challenging state bans on
same-sex marriage. We'll debate what has become a key social issue
within the country, exclusively with Ted Olson, former Solicitor
General who served as Co-Counsel for the plaintiffs in Virginia's
same-sex marriage case, and Tony Perkins, President of the Family
Research Council.”
Writing at Equality
Matters, Carlos Maza pointed out that FRC was labeled a hate
group in 2010 and Perkins' appearances on cable news shows have
plummeted since.
“Perkins' FRC was labeled a hate
group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in 2010 because it
has often promoted smears and falsehoods about the LGBT community,”
he wrote. “Perkins' history of extreme anti-gay work is well
documented: he's made a career of linking homosexuality to pedophilia
and calling homosexuality a health risk.”
“The hate group leader has lost
credibility on other cable news networks, but continues to receive
warm welcomes on Fox. On Sunday, he'll have yet another chance to
preach his hate-driven misinformation to a national audience.”
Olson and Perkins previously squared
off on Fox New Sunday in October of 2014.
(Related: Tony
Perkins: Supreme Court enabled “evil bidding” with gay marriage
decision.)