Sacramento Based Radio Hosts Defame, Advocate Violence Against Transgender Children
June 1, 2009 by Cindi Creager, GLAAD's Director of National News
GLAAD is currently working with the Trans Youth Family Allies to respond to a highly defamatory radio broadcast on KRXQ-FM in Sacramento, California on May 28.
In a long tirade on the Rob, Arnie & Dawn in the Morning radio show, heard in Sacramento, California on KRXQ 98.5FM, hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States verbally attacked transgender children when discussing a recent story about a transgender child and her parents’ decision to support her transition in Omaha, NE.
Hosts of the show Rob Arnie & Dawn
The two hosts spent more than 30 minutes making highly derogatory comments about transgender children and promoting child abuse as a so-called “cure” for their gender identity.
GLAAD has reached out to KRXQ management to communicate our serious concerns and demand an apology. We are waiting for their reply.
We’ll have much more information on the incident tomorrow, so please check back for updates. In the meantime if you’d like to voice your concerns please reach out to these contacts:
John Geary
Vice President & General Manager
KRXQ-FM
(916) 339-4209
jgeary@entercom.com
Arnie States
On Air Personality
KRXQ-FM
(916) 334-7777
rad@robarnieanddawn.com
Rob Williams
On Air Personality
KRXQ-FM
(916) 334-7777
rwilliams@entercom.com
When contacting KRXQ , please ensure that your emails and phone calls are civil and respectful and do not engage in the kind of name-calling or abusive behavior that we are expressing our concerns about.
My email to the show and station::::
jgeary@entercom.com, rad@robarnieanddawn.com, rwilliams@entercom.com
In regards…
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing because I recently had your hosts comments about transgendered children and their advocating child abuse as a way to “cure” these children.
I do not understand how anyone could claim that abusing children in any form is a good thing.
I also do not understand how you could alienate and hurt thousands of people in this country who are either transgendered,
have loved ones (including children) who are transgendered, or know someone who is transgendered.
And the nerve of anyone to say whether or not someone is “seeking attention” or is actually feeling like they are living in the wrong body.
Let me be clear, I am not a therapist, I am not transgendered.
I listened to this entire argument on your show.
I did not want to listen to it. I felt sick to my stomach, I felt angry and I cried.
I can not believe that in 2009 there are this kind of narrow minded, ignorant, hateful people in the industry of “entertainment”.
These two men were disrespectful, horribly rude, and made me think things that I will not say here.
I am trying really hard to be the bigger person, to not bash and name call, the way that these two men have done.
And I will tell you this right now if I ever found out this man actually hit his son with anything for any reason,
I would call the police and hope that his poor child was taken away from him.
And another thing, are these men in the households of these transgendered kids? Are they there to actually here what the parents or the kids said?
No they were not, they are judging people they have never and will never meet.
This programming is sick, vile, disrespectful, hurtful, and violates freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech has never included the right to hate speech and slander.
People are sued for slander and defamation, and I would complete support someone suing your show,
your station, for slander and defamation of transgendered people, especially children.
Please make a public apology, fire these men, do something to make this right.
Please know that our organization, TransActive Education & Advocacy has also registered a complaint with the station management, though we have received no response from them.
As one of the leading support and advocacy organizations nationwide working with trans and gender nonconforming children, youth and families, we would very much like to join with GLAAD and other similar organizations in speaking out against this incitement to abuse of these precious children.
In recent days, with the murder of Dr. Tiller, we’ve seen the evil that can result from this type of hate speech. We can not and will not tolerate it.
Please consider us an ally and resource in the months, days and years to come.
Jenn Burleton
TransActive Education & Advocacy
Portland, Oregon
info@transactiveonline.org
http://www.TransActiveOnline.org
[...] Yesterday, we alerted our readers to our work with Trans Youth Family Allies in responding to a reprehensible May 28 segment on the Rob, Arnie & Dawn in the Morning radio show. The show is heard in Sacramento, California on KRXQ 98.5FM and Reno, Nevada on KDOT 104.5FM. You can find our original blog post about the defamatory comments here. [...]
[...] then I learned of the disgusting, half-hour-long transphobic tirade advocating child abuse and violence against trans youth that occurred on May 28th during a morning [...]
My e-mail to KRXQ General Manager and program hosts:
Dear Mr. Geary,
As a pediatrician providing care to transgender and gender variant youth in Sacramento and Northern California, I am appalled that your station KRXQ would carry a program that espouses violence and intimidation against transgender youth and that trivializes their condition. Gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition that has internationally recognized Standards of Care that help these individuals achieve happy and fulfilling lives.
Many gender variant youth suffer depression and despair resulting in a high risk of suicide, and the physical abuse and ridicule that your program hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States encourage against them are enough to further endanger their well being in their households and among their peers. Just last September, transwoman Ruby Molina was found naked and drowned here in Sacramento in the American River…a death that has the appearances of a hate crime.
Transgender people are not “freaks”, but American citizens entitled to the same happiness and safety as anyone else.
This type of inflammatory material is NOT entertaining and ENDANGERS the lives of fellow citizens and our children.
I cannot estimate the damage you have caused by this broadcasting this misinformation to your audience.
I urge you to reprimand your program hosts Williams and States and require them to make a public retraction of their diatribe.
Sincerely yours,
Carol F. Milazzo, M.D.
Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics
Member, Sacramento Pediatric Society
Member, World Professional Association for Transgender Health
Board Member, PFLAG Sacramento Chapter
[...] A couple of morning jocks in Sacramento saw a story about a transgender child in Omaha who had to leave a Roman Catholic school when her parents decided to let her live as a girl. [...]
[...] ARNIE STATES: If my son, God forbid, if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him… [...]
the link to the mp3 is kind of broken, they only talk about something else for 17 seconds.
(it was crazy to assume they would keep *this* on their servers.)
did anybody copy it? if so, drop me a mail, I really would like to listen to this (not easily offended, I grew up on the internet.)
[...] 1st, GLAAD has been actively mobilizing its supporters to take action against a highly offensive segment of the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show, which aired on May 28th. For the past [...]
[...] http://glaadblog.org/2009/06/01/sacramento-based-radio-hosts-defame-advocate-violence-against-transg... [...]
[...] http://glaadblog.org/2009/06/01/sacramento-based-radio-hosts-defame-advocate-violence-against-transg... [...]
Dear hn, You can download a copy from http://sites.google.com/site/sacgender/community-action
June 11, 2009 – The Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show returned to the air with a special 2-1/2 hour program featuring as guests Kim Pearson from PFLAG TNET and Trans Youth Family Allies and journalist Autumn Sandeen.
During the course of the program, Kim shared her experience as the parent of a transgender child, Autumn shared her story about growing up transgender, and many others contributed by calling in, including Joni, the mother of the 8 year-old Omaha trans girl who was the target of ridicule in the original broadcast.
At the end of the broadcast I went to the KRXQ studio and personally thanked John Geary, Dawn Rossi, Kim and Autumn for this service to the Sacramento and world-wide community. This was a milestone toward our goal of promoting safety for all our children.
Carol F. Milazzo, MD
PFLAG Sacramento Chapter