Who made the most outrageous and
defamatory comments about gays, lesbians or transgender people last
year? The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has
compiled a list of their top offenders.
“[A]nti-gay activists and media
pundits continue to make outrageous claims about our community, and
many media outlets persisted in using problematic and defamatory
language that affects the way that people view the LGBT community,”
said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano in announcing the list.
“That's why now, more than ever, we need to capitalize on our
community's momentum, make our voices heard and work towards more
fair, accurate and inclusive representation of our lives.”
Leading the list is Bill O'Reilly,
author and host of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. His most
bigoted remarks this year came right after the California Supreme
Court struck down an anti-gay marriage ban. On the May 15 broadcast
of the show, O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly, host of America's Newsroom,
decried the decision. Kelly said: “They created yet another
fundamental right that had never existed before. They are making
this stuff up out of whole cloth.” The pair also likened gay
marriage to polygamy and incest. “How about polygamist,” asked
O'Reilly, “could they move from Utah and get a fundamental right to
marry?” “No,” responded Kelly, “They didn't find that right
for polygamists or people who commit incest.”
GLAAD also says the language used by
proponents of California's gay marriage ban was defamatory.
“The [Yes-on-8] ads relied on scare
tactics and spread inflammatory lies, including that the defeat of
Proposition 8 would mean changes in schools and churches,” said
GLAAD.
Another Fox News anchor, Greg Gutfeld,
host of the Red Eye, makes the list. GLAAD points to a May 20
story, titled Gender Envy, where he and several guests
discussed the serious topic of gender reassignment as a joke. Amid
much laughter and snickering, the show presented a very biased look at
the serious medical concerns faced by transgender youth.
Museum of Broadcast Hall of Fame
inductee and Focus on the Family leader James Dobson's contributions
to anti-gay speech are simply too numerous to mention, but GLAAD
highlights several. In an October 14 broadcast of the Glenn Beck
Show, Dobson agreed with Beck that Proposition 8 was not about
repealing the right of gays and lesbians to marry (they have civil
unions!), but about protecting children and churches. “Dr.
Dobson,” Beck asked, “am I going too far in saying that this
[defeat of Prop 8] could make churches into hate groups?” “There's
no question about it,” Dobson replied.
Jim Quinn's, host of Clear Channel's
The War Room With Quinn & Rose, November 6 comments about
gays triggered a GLAAD Call to Action. “[G]ay marriage doesn't
produce anything that the state has an interest in,” he told
listeners. “Gay sex produces AIDS, which the state doesn't have –
or should have an interest in. They should charge homosexuals more
for their health insurance than they charge for the rest of us.”
The only politician to make the list is
Oklahoma Representative Sally Kern (Republican). Her March speech
vilifying gays made headlines when the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
posted her rantings on YouTube. The preacher's wife turned politician
stood defiantly in support of her views that the gay community is
“the death knell in the country” and “the biggest threat that
our nation has, even more so than terrorism,” and somehow managed
to win re-election.
And Rev. Rick Warren, the man at the
center of controversy for being picked by President-elect Barack
Obama to give the nation's prayer at his inauguration, is most likely
the best-known gay defamer on the list.
“Rick Warren has a history of using
the media as a platform to spread divisive anti-gay rhetoric,”
GLAAD said. “Warren spread inaccuracies about Proposition 8,
saying that it would 'prevent him from getting up on the pulpit and
speaking out against same-sex marriage' on Dateline. He also
participated in a video interview with The Wall Street Journal on
December 18 where he said that marriage for gay and lesbian couples
was the equivalent to 'having a brother and sister be together', 'an
older guy marrying a child' and 'one guy having multiple wives'.”
On the Net: GLAAD is at www.glaad.org