Bill O’Reilly Regarding Gays: “God made the[m]… that way, and I agree.”
June 12, 2009
Host Bill O'Reilly and guest Dennis Miller on the June 10th broadcast of The O'Reilly Factor.
Is Bill O’Reilly changing his tune on gays?
On the June 10th broadcast of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly said things like “God made the[m]. . . that way, and I agree” and “I don’t know what’s happening to our society. . . I’m not one of those guys that thinks you should be converting anyone to anything. . .[i]f they’re happy, they’re happy.”
Then again, he and his guest, Dennis Miller, were discussing lesbian penguins, not gay and lesbian people (and making jokes at the expense of transgender folks, too).
See the full clip here:
O’Reilly has a history of comparing marriage equality to inter-species marriage, polygamy and incest, and has made our Worst Anti-LGBT Voices of the Year list for the last two years. Recently while speaking to a guest, Margaret Hoover, on a May 12 broadcast about extending marriage to same-sex couples, O’Reilly told her:
“[Y]ou would let everybody get married who wants to get married. You want to marry a turtle, you can.”
And last year, O’Reilly said that Americans don’t want to see “homosexual behavior legitimized” in an on-air tirade against Whoopi Goldberg’s brief kiss with Katy Perry on The View in July 2008.
But he also concluded during his June 10 show that an attempt at so-called “conversion” therapy for a group of lesbian penguins at a zoo in Bremen, Germany, was inappropriate:
I don’t know — it’s — I don’t what’s happening to our society, [Dennis] Miller, which is why I’m discussing this with you. No. 1, if the penguin is gay, leave the penguin alone. God made the penguin that way. And I agree. I mean, I’m not one of these guys that thinks you should be converting anybody to anything … So why is the Bremen Zoo trying to make these penguins straight if, indeed, they are gay? Why bother? You know what I’m talking about? If they’re happy, they’re happy.
Will this compassion and support for lesbian penguins lead Bill O’Reilly to have more compassion and support for loving and committed same-sex couples? Will he begin to realize same-sex couples are no different than their straight friends, family or neighbors and that they should be able to take care of and be responsible for their spouse just the same as any other family?
One could only hope….
Related Posts:Bill O’Reilly’s Evolution – Marriage Equality “Thing” Will Lead to Unions With A “Goat,” “Duck,” “Turtle,” “Dolphin”
May 13, 2009
Media Matters for America has long documented Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly’s ongoing fascination with what he sees as a causal link between marriage equality and inter-species marriages.
Yesterday, he made yet another reference on his show, The O’Reilly Factor. Speaking to guest Margaret Hoover, he said:
O’Reilly: Hoover, you would let everybody get married who want to get married. You want to marry a turtle, you can.
You can watch the segment below:
Back in 2005, Media Matters had taken notice of similar commentary from O’Reilly, but then it was goats. From the March 29, 2005, edition of The Radio Factor:
O’Reilly: The judges in Massachusetts knew they weren’t going to be impeached when they said to the state legislature, “Gay marriage is now legal in Massachusetts because we say it is. We the judges” — they knew they weren’t gonna be impeached. They knew the legislature didn’t care. You get the government you deserve. In California, the prevailing wisdom is marijuana is no big deal, let’s legalize it. And since we can’t get that through the legislature, we’ll do it this way. And they did it! You see?
And 10 years, this is gonna be a totally different country than it is right now. Laws that you think are in stone — they’re gonna evaporate, man. You’ll be able to marry a goat — you mark my words!
A few weeks later, O’Reilly continued with his goat fixation on the April 13, 2005, edition of The Radio Factor:
Now, there was another request up there from a woman — prisoner, inmate, convict — who wanted to marry another woman who’s not in prison. And, I guess they’re still mullin’ that over. No, it was denied — no, I’m sorry, they’re mullin’ it over — no, it was approved! Oooh, no, look at this! The other request was approved because it involved the marriage of a female inmate to a woman who’s not in prison. See, I woulda denied that. I’d have said, “When you get outta prison, you can marry her.” But not here. This isn’t pre-Cana [Catholic premarital counseling] prison — all right, you can’t do that. See, I’m not buyin’ into any of this politically correct nonsense. If you’re a prisoner, you’re a convict, you lose your rights until you get out. So, I’m sorry. We’re not lettin’ you get married, not gonna let you drive a car, you can’t vote. You’re in — you’re in, that’s it.
So this is just the beginning, ladies and gentlemen, of this crazy gay marriage insanity — is gonna lead to all kinds of things like this. Courts are gonna be clogged. Every nut in the world is gonna — somebody’s gonna come in and say, “I wanna marry the goat.” You’ll see it; I guarantee you’ll see it.
By the September 14, 2005, edition of his radio show, O’Reilly had moved on to ducks:
The secular progressive movement would like to have marriage abolished, in my opinion. They don’t want it, because it is not diverse enough. You know, that’s what this gay marriage thing is all about. But now, you know, the poly-amorphous marriage, whatever they call it, you can marry 18 people, you can marry a duck…
Click here for the audio, courtesy of Media Matters.
In between the turtles of 2009 and the goats and ducks of 2005, came the dolphins of 2006. From the January 4, 2006, edition of The O’Reilly Factor, where he compared marriage equality to a woman marrying a dolphin:
One of the arguments against gay marriage, that we just spoke about, is that if it becomes law, all other alternative marital visions will be allowed. We’ve already seen a Dutchman marry two ladies in the Netherlands. Looks like a happy guy. And now comes word that a British woman has married a dolphin in Israel. Forty-one-year-old Sharon Tendler has tied the knot with a 35-year-old mammal, so age is no problem there.
Click here to watch the video.
As Media Matters wryly noted, Tendler’s “marriage” was not legally recognized:
According to an Associated Press report, Tendler’s “marriage” was not a legal one. She reportedly “still kept open the option of ‘marrying human’ at some stage,” but, “she said for now she was strictly a ‘one-dolphin woman,’ ” and that she “hope[s] he has a lot of baby dolphins with the other dolphins. The more dolphins the better.”
Also, the Dutchman O’Reilly referred to was also not legally married according to sources who actually researched the case.
For facts and more information on marriage equality, please head over to www.FreedomToMarry.org and read through GLAAD’s Talking About series.
It’s Time Fox News “Catches” Up – Anti-Gay Jokes Unacceptable
May 12, 2009
Fox News continued it’s unfortunate history of making anti-gay jokes at Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) expense this week.
As Media Matters noted, Fox Business News Host Eric Bolling took a cheap shot at Frank during his show Street Meat. Bolling superimposed the head of Rep. Frank, along with others who have refused to come on Bolling’s show, over a graphic of a baseball diamond.
Describing the placement of each individual, Bolling said:
” ..and appropriately positioned, Representative Barney Frank, catching of course.”
And on March 31, 2009, Fox News Host Glenn Beck also made a joke at Rep. Frank’s expense:
“Happy Birthday, Barney Frank. He’s sixty-nine…I just gave you time to make your own joke.”
Then, of course, there was the March 12, 2008 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, where Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller left nothing to the imagination with this exchange:
Miller: If he [Obama] wants to earn my goodwill and the goodwill of a lot of people, he oughta flatten these punks at AIG who keep take – these guys party. They make Caligula look like a shut-in. Enough is enough. We just gave ‘em 150 billion. We gotta follow them around with hidden cameras. Take it all back. Let them go away. It’s economic Darwinism. If they wanna spend like that, they should go under. Forget the parties, you guys. And I think that he oughta come down hard on them right now.
O’Reilly: And then arrest Barney Frank, correct? (laughs)
Miller: Eh, Barney might wanna get arrested. (laughs)
O’Reilly: (laughs) Okay, Dennis Miller everybody. I told you to hide the kids. (laughs)
O’Reilly Joins Smear Campaign, Falsely Claims Hate Crime Bill Protects Pedophiles
May 8, 2009
Like fellow Fox News hosts, Sean Hannity and Bill Hemmer, Bill O’Reilly has been proliferating false information concerning the language of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
The federal bill defines a bias motivated crime as one that is “motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim.”
As Media Matters noted, contrary to the claims of O’Reilly et. al., pedophilia is already defined by federal law as a classification that exists outside of sexual orientation and/or disability. Thereby precluding the need to include any additional language that would exclude pedophiles from protection under the bill.
Video below:
Tammy Bruce Compliments Miss CA, Slams the “Gay Gestapo”
May 8, 2009
Openly gay radio Host Tammy Bruce and openly gay former Clinton Pollster Bernard Whitman recently appeared in a Fox News segment exploring so-called “Intolerance in the Gay Marriage Debate.” Bruce used the opportunity to speak out against what she terms the “gay gestapo” or “far left framework.”
Whitman, who was met with resistance from Bruce, steered the conversation towards his position in regards to marriage and civil unions that “separate but equal never works.” Bruce passionately disagreed.
Concerning Miss California, Tammy Bruce stated:
“After that attack on the internet, it has become this really community wide attack on her and I think the hypocrisy is obvious. Now I also happen to disagree with her I think that we can find a civil union framework while respecting marriage. But ultimately, I do agree with her position, which I think is quite classic, that she has a certain position that she stated and respectfully said ‘but I’m glad people can decide for themselves.’ Quite an opposite message is coming from what I term the gay gestapo, which is the far left framework, which ultimately smears every gay person.”
Video below:
Fox News Fear-Mongering, False Claims that Hate Crimes Bill Will Protect Pedophiles
May 7, 2009
Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Bill Hemmer have been busy the past two days advancing their false claims that Democrats voted to protect and defend pedophiles by voting against an amendment to the bill by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) stating that “the term ’sexual orientation’ shall not include pedophilia.”
As Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said during an April 23 House Judiciary Committee hearing, and Media Matters noted:
the term “sexual orientation” is already defined by federal statute as applying only to “consensual homosexuality or heterosexuality,” thereby excluding pedophiles, who engage in nonconsensual sexual relationships with children. Baldwin added that it “is unnecessary and, I would add, inflammatory in terms of insinuations.
Now that the amendment has failed, Hannity and Hammer along with King, have done their best to spread their highly incendiary falsehoods and inspire fear.
Video below:
h/t to Media Matters for America
FOX Host Takes Jab At Perez Hilton
April 22, 2009
As you may have heard/read/seen, Perez Hilton recently came under fire for his response to Miss California Carrie Prejean’s answer at the Miss USA contest. GLAAD issued a statement yesterday about the media coverage surrounding the controversy.
Media Matters for America has highlighted a segment from FOX News’ morning show FOX & Friends on their blog:
Steve Doocy, host of FOX & Friends, read this statement from Prejean’s grandmother after noting Perez Hilton is “gay and is a liberal activist”:
“I don’t know why that gay guy, Perez, was even judging a contest with a bunch of girls. That doesn’t make any sense. He should be judging a Chippendales contest.”
Doocy then responded with chuckles, noting: “Grandma, has got a point.”
For Some, Fox Apology Not Enough
September 18, 2008
Last month, GLAAD issued an action alert in response to a segment on the August 14 broadcast of Fox’s America’s Newsroom. Host Gregg Jarrett, in a conversation with Us Weekly editor-at-large Ian Drew, made a series of crude and dehumanizing comments about Isis, the first ever transgender contestant on America’s Next Top Model. Here’s what happened:
While laughing and joking, Jarrett mocked Isis’ description of herself as a woman whose “cards were dealt differently,” and said, “That’s an understatement!” Drew referred to recent instances of transgender visibility on reality television as “The Crying Game ’08,” going on to call the show “America’s Next Top Tranny.” Drew then said that she doesn’t look any different from other contestants because “they are not exactly the most high-class group of women.” Throughout the segment, Jarrett switched back and forth between male and female pronouns, and both Jarrett and Drew suggested that Isis “fooled” people by “blending in.” They went on to make crude remarks about her genitalia and the pitch of her voice.
You can see the clip below:
While Us Weekly issued an apology later that day after we contacted them, Fox News did not respond until we sent out the action alert asking our constituents to write in to voice their concerns.
The next day, Gregg Jarrett offered this apology on the August 15 edition of America’s Newsroom (you can check out the video below):
This time yesterday we aired a segment about a transgender by the name of Isis, who will compete in the upcoming season of the television show America’s Next Top Model.The group GLAAD, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation sent us an email saying it was offensive. That was not our intention. We apologize.
Nancy Nangeroni, co-chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and executive director of GenderVision, had her own take on the original segment – and the apology. She released the following video in response:
Nangeroni takes apart the original segment piece by piece and calls to task both Jarrett and Drew for their misuse of pronouns and the general lack of respect they showed for transgender people.
She takes issue with Jarrett’s claim that their intent was not be offensive, and points out that the three minute segment only garnered a 20 second apology. Nangeroni also addresses the fact that the apology includes incorrect terminology – Jarrett uses the phrase “a transgender” when referring to Isis.
Unfortunately, there is a long history of anti-transgender segments being aired on Fox. A look back through GLAAD’s Best and Worst archive recaps the problematic segments and the calls to action GLAAD has sent to our membership.
While we continue to make it a priority to act as a resource to news outlets on their coverage of LGBT issues, we also continue to monitor and respond to news outlets, like Fox News, when they get it wrong.
