Gay rights foe Bradlee Dean, whose
ministry is supported by Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, is suing
MSNBC and Rachel Maddow, host of The Rachel Maddow Show.
Dean has accused Maddow and the network
of defaming his name.
The man behind the ministry You Can Run
But You Can't Hide International claims Maddow falsely reported that
he called for the execution of gay men and lesbians.
Last year, Maddow reported that
Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer had given
money to Dean's heavy metal band, the Junkyard Prophets. Emmer, who
lost the election to Democrat Mark Dayton, said he supported the band
because “These are nice people.”
For contrast, Maddow noted a statement
from the controversial minister who also hosts the syndicated radio
program The Sons of Liberty.
“Muslims are calling for the
executions of homosexuals in America. This just shows you they
themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible of the
Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than even the
American Christians do, because these people are livid about
enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination. …
If America won't enforce the laws, God will raise up a foreign enemy
to do just that. That’s what you are seeing today in America.”
On the program, Maddow added: “Mr.
Bradlee with two e's later clarified that he didn't really mean to
sanction [the] murder of gay people. He said, 'We have never and
will never call for the execution of homosexuals.' Which is nice.”
(The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Dean has since repeatedly called gay
people “criminals.”
“The radical homosexuals want to
re-educate America by teaching people of all ages to hate the laws
that expose their crimes. So the next time you hear 'hate crimes,'
remember that is the criminal who hates the law,” he
wrote in a June blog post taking credit for passage of a
constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the Minnesota
Legislature. The amendment will appear on next year's ballot.
Bachmann has also supported Dean, once
praying for his ministry.
“The left wing media's effort to
defame Dean is an obvious way to try to harm Bachmann's presidential
prospects, who they fear and despise,” the group wrote in a
statement announcing the lawsuit.
Dean is seeking $50 million in damages.