Clear Channel Issues Statement Regarding Radio Host Jim Quinn’s Outrageous Remarks; GLAAD Asks the Company to Live Up to Its Own Diversity Policies
January 25, 2010
On the January 14 edition of Clear Channel’s nationally syndicated radio program, “The War Room with Quinn and Rose,” host Jim Quinn made outrageous and defamatory comments about people living with HIV/AIDS and what he called the “homosexual AIDS lobby.” Quinn erroneously compared contagious tuberculosis patients to people living with HIV/AIDS and went on to say, “When you get AIDS, pal, the door opens up to you. You have got all kinds of government goodies, including a maid to clean your house, transportation – I mean it’s – there’s just a wealth of wonders that come.”
Following our Call to Action, GLAAD allies wrote numerous e-mails to Clear Channel executives and demanded that Jim Quinn be held responsible for his outrageous comments.
As a result, Clear Channel’s Chief Communications Officer, Lisa Dollinger, released the following statement to GLAAD:
Clear Channel doesn’t condone Jim Quinn’s remarks and we don’t share his view. Clear Channel has raised considerable funds and positive awareness for HIV/AIDS and the GLBT community over the years and we will continue to do so. We’ve spoken with Mr. Quinn about the seriousness of this incident.
While GLAAD appreciates this statement from Clear Channel Communications, we urge the company to live up to its own diversity policy which states in part:
Our ZERO TOLERANCE policy that prohibits discrimination extends beyond our employees, into each and every market in which we conduct business.
If Clear Channel is truly committed to prohibiting discrimination, the company must ask Jim Quinn to apologize for his grossly inaccurate and offensive remarks and ensure that these kinds of defamatory attacks cease in future broadcasts.
Please continue to write to Clear Channel Communications and tell the company that Jim Quinn’s inaccurate and appalling comments are unacceptable and Clear Channel must stop allowing Quinn to perpetuate hatred, fear and misinformation.
CONTACT:
Lisa Dollinger
Chief Communications Officer
Clear Channel Communications
(210) 822-2828
lisacdollinger@clearchannel.com
Rod Phillips
Programming Senior Vice President
(210) 822-2828
rodphillips@clearchannel.com
Robert H. Walls, Jr.
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
(210) 822-2828
robert.walls@clearchannel.com
Godcasts and Radio: LGBT People of Faith Explore Spirituality on Airwaves
July 29, 2009
From radio to ‘Godcasts,’ religious themed podcasts, LGBT people are reclaiming their voice within religious and faith communities. Hitting the digital airwaves is a rapidly growing trend and here are a few shows that deserve attention:
Tony Sweet
As the host of one of the top LA Talk Radio shows, Tony Sweet, a gay Christian musician, engages LGBT people of faith in Los Angeles and across the country. Reaching more than 50,000 listeners per show, On Air with Tony Sweet hosts people of all faiths to empower and strengthen his audience through music and on-air conversations with individuals from both the religious and entertainment world. A Gospel singer, Tony sang at a major rally against Prop 8 and was also in the cast of a YouTube video response to NOM’s “Gathering Storm” called “Weathering the Storm.”
Alicia Ross
Inspired by her own spiritual journey, Alicia Ross set out to help LGBT people who were trying to reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation. She charted new territory at LOGO with the video webcast, Oh God I’m Gay, which quickly became one of LOGO’s most popular webcasts. Ross now hosts One Gay Under God and invites faith leaders from many faiths and backgrounds to explore religious and social issues affecting the LGBT community that are often not covered by mainstream media.
Candace Chellew-Hodge
Fighting to claim a place for LGBT Christians in the Bible Belt is Whosoever, an online magazine for LGBT Christians founded in 1996 by Candace Chellew-Hodge. Whosoever regularly features podcasts on its website with the goal of providing LGBT Christians a space and the necessary resources to rekindle their faith and build welcoming communities by reaching out to both LGBT people and their straight allies. Whosoever won the first 2009 Pride Choice Award for best gay and lesbian focused nonprofit in the Southeast. Candace is currently promoting her book, Bulletproof Faith.
Justin Lee
Over at the Gay Christian Network (GCN) Radio, a weekly podcast on issues pertaining to LGBT Christians, Justin Lee and co-host Brian Eckstein cover a wide range of topics from the Catholic transgender experience to helping people recover from so-called “ex-gay” ministries. Lee, the Executive Director of GCN, founded the nonprofit ministry in 2001 to provide resources and support to help individuals reconcile their faith and sexuality. GCN builds networks of supportive Christian communities and works with families, friends, and churches to create respectful dialogue on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Related Posts:UPDATE: National Media Coverage of KRXQ Hosts’ Apologies
June 12, 2009
Two weeks after mobilizing GLAAD supporters, Sacramento radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States apologized yesterday for their disparaging, anti-transgender remarks that promoted the abuse of transgender children.
Audio of the apologies can be found here.
Following Thursday’s broadcast, Vice President of Entercom Entertainment Sacramento, John Geary, released a statement describing the anti-transgender remarks as “hurtful” and “unacceptable.”
Geary went on to explain his hopes that KRXQ “can foster a greater level of tolerance and understanding by people on both sides of the [transgender] issue.”
Rob Williams also released a statement following yesterday’s broadcast in which he thanked his listeners:
Thank you for having the courage to stand by us and to keep the show in check. It was through the loyal listeners of the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show that Arnie and I were dragged, kicking and screaming, to the reality that we had gone too far and crossed a line in the eyes of OUR audience. It is still a point of sadness and frustration that it took us so long to acknowledge our mistake, believe our audience, and begin making things right. The show of Thursday, June 11 serves to set things in forward motion.
Additionally, several media outlets highlighted the KRXQ apology, such as the AP, the Advocate, the Sacramento Bee, and local television news stations, among others.
As noted in its Thursday press release, GLAAD will continue to monitor the show daily to ensure it stays within the bounds of fair, accurate and inclusive coverage. GLAAD will also continue promoting the stories of transgender people to the show and advising the hosts on covering transgender people with respect and dignity.
Related Posts:GLAAD Update on Today’s KRXQ Broadcast
June 11, 2009
Since June 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 10 days we have been working collaboratively with like minded organizations and community members on this issue. You can about this joint effort here.
Today, the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show returned to airwaves with a special broadcast that included two transgender advocates. I was updating my Twitter feed live throughout the entire show.
After the broadcast, GLAAD released a statement on the show, which you can find here.
In our statement, we include quotes from Pam’s House Blend contributor and transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen and Trans Youth Familiy Allies Executive Director Kim Pearson who were featured on the 2.5 hour radio broadcast, without any commercial breaks.
In our statement, Autumn relayed:
I think this is the way we make change – and we don’t mean as individuals, but as a community. Humanity won the day. I think that’s what worked – we all became humans in the same room instead of stereotypes.
Kim also shared the following statement:
It’s not up to me to grant forgiveness or absolution, and people are going to hold their feet to the fire. I think this was a good thing, it was a good forum, it was productive, it was good for everyone listening – but time will tell. It was a good first step, but actions speak louder than words.
After the show, the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” website provided an update with links to both Pam’s House Blend and Trans Youth Family Allies. The broadcast is available for listeners to download here.
Local media outlets in Sacramento have consistently reported on the developments surrounding KRXQ with the most recent stories on today’s show featured in FOX40, The Sacramento Press and The Sacramento Bee.
GLAAD would like to thank new media reporters Autumn Sandeen and Michael Rowe for their crucial coverage on KRXQ, which brought the situation to new audiences and helped it become an educational moment for many.
A larger recap will be prepared tomorrow so please check back later for more updates on this story and others followed by GLAAD.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
KRXQ UPDATE: Tomorrow’s Show and More Advertiser Statements
June 10, 2009
As many know already from reading our previous update, the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show will begin re-airing on Thursday, June 11. GLAAD will be listening to the show that begins at 10:30AM EST/7:30AM PST. We will be paying close attention to the broadcast.
We have a few more breaking updates to share with you about what to expect tomorrow morning and the ongoing developments with advertisers pulling from the radio station.
People can tune in here to listen to tomorrow’s show featuring Pam’s House Blend contributor and transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen and Trans Youth Families Allies Executive Director Kim Pearson.
Please note the following information:
- The live broadcast will last for 2.5 hours
- There will be no commercial breaks whatsoever during the radio show
- People may call in during the show at the following number: 916-766-1044
- You can follow GLAAD Senior Media Strategist Andy Marra on Twitter during the broadcast @Andy_Marra
- GLAAD will be releasing our statement on GLAADblog.org and GLAAD.org soon after the show
GLAAD reminds its readers to be respectful and civil when calling into the radio station and expressing your views.
In anticipation of tomorrow’s show, GLAAD spoke with its sister organization, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The national organization advocating for safer schools recently released a report titled Harsh Realities that documented the experiences of transgender students in the classroom.
GLSEN wanted us to share their statement that reads:
GLSEN is horrified and outraged by the hateful comments directed at transgender youth made on the ‘Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning Show.’ Such comments are even more reprehensible in light of the fact that more than half of transgender students experience physical harassment in school based on their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression and more than a quarter experience physical assault. We can only hope that Thursday’s show will shed light on the need to make sure that transgender youth are safe in every school.
The Transgender Law Center also issued a statement about tomorrow’s morning that you can find here.
Earlier this afternoon, a GLAAD supporter also provided a tip about UC Davis Health Systems ending their relationship with the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show. The university’s medical institution released a statement that you can find here and here.
In the statement, UC Davis announced their decision to pull all advertising from the station. They also ended their partnership with the station that annually raises charitable dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network. The Sacramento Bee reported on the latest development immediately following the announcement.
GLAAD also received a statement from Home Depot clarifying their involvement with KRXQ. 
The statement reads:
The Home Depot is neither a sponsor nor has it committed advertising to this program. However, our ads are occasionally heard on KRXQ as part of a national radio buy. We have shared your feedback about the morning program with the network and the station directly, and have asked them to look more closely at where our ads are running to ensure they are in accordance with our standards.
We have strict guidelines in place to ensure the programs we support reflect the quality of our brand. Our advertising campaigns have one simple objective — to communicate with audiences in the most effective way possible. Feedback from customers like you plays a large role in helping us to maintain these standards.
Thank you for your interest in The Home Depot.
Local advertisers like Sleep Train and Guitar Center issued statements that you can find here and here. The LGBT community in Sacramento has been very active in leading efforts to contact local advertisers and urge them to pull their advertising contracts from KRXQ. The Sacramento LGBTQI Leadership Coalition, a local alliance of 15+ organizations has been coordinating on-the-ground efforts related to the radio station.
The coalition provided GLAAD with the following statement about their reasons for mobilizing the community:
The hateful remarks against transgender youth made by two primetime Sacramento radio hosts was shocking and hurtful to members of our city’s vibrant and diverse LGBT community. Gay and transgender youth are at high risk of depression, alcohol and drug abuse and suicide due to homophobic discrimination and abusive environments many face in their schools, homes and among their peers. All in our community feel a deep commitment to doing our best to shelter our LGBT youth to the greatest extent possible from these destructive societal pressures. No child should have to be afraid of being hurt or harassed for simply expressing his or her identity.
Please stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Sleep Train and Others Clarify Record on KRXQ Advertising
June 9, 2009
GLAAD has received a few updates about KRXQ and their advertisers. Our extensive coverage on advertisers either pulling or not renewing contracts can be found here.
This update comes after GLAAD spoke with KRXQ yesterday, which you can read about here.
Sleep Train provided GLAAD with the following statement to share with its readers:
Thank you for taking the time to write us regarding the comments made on the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show on KRXQ. Rob, Arnie and Dawn have done a good job endorsing for us for many years. However, this time they went too far. We do not condone their comments in any way and we have made it clear to KRXQ’s management, Rob, Arnie and Dawn that their conduct was unacceptable.
Sleep Train is proud of our history of diversity and the inclusion of all the communities we serve. As a result, we have pulled our ads off of KRXQ until further notice.
We have also received other statements from Red Bull, Hawaiian Airlines and State Farm.
Red Bull sent us a statement addressing their advertising relationship with KRXQ:
Red Bull is not an advertiser on KRQX. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
We also were provided with a statement from Hawaiian Airlines who reportedly received a number of emails this past weekend. The airline states:
Hawaiian Airlines is not an advertiser on the station.
State Farm had a similar statement as Red Bull and Hawaiian Airlines. The company writes:
Thank you for your comments regarding State Farm running advertisements on station KRXQ in Sacramento. We have read your concerns and those of others with similar concerns. We take very seriously each comment we receive.
State Farm has not advertised on KRXQ in 2009. Once this particular show ran, we discovered that the station had not removed our company logo from their website and that mistake has been rectified.
Please stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: GLAAD Speaks with KRXQ Management
June 8, 2009
For those just now learning about this issue, please go here to read more about this evolving controversy.
At 11:45am EST, Cindi Creager, GLAAD’s Director of National News, and I spoke with the station manager at KRXQ. GLAAD successfully made the case for a transgender person and a parent of a transgender child to appear on the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show. We are right now in the process of securing Trans Youth Family Allies Executive Director Kim Pearson and Pam’s House Blend contributor and transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen for the broadcast.
As yesterday’s statement noted, KRXQ will be airing a special show on Thursday, June 11 at 7:30am PST.
It should be noted that Autumn was one of the very first reporters to shine attention on the May 28th segment alongside Huffington Post blogger Michael Rowe.
KRXQ has assured us that the June 11th follow-up show will be conducted in a “frank and positive manner.” It was explicitly stated to us that we will hear an apology from the radio hosts and listeners will be able to call in. As always, we remind everyone to be respectful and civil when calling into the show.
GLAAD has additionally suggested a transgender media training with our community partners. KRXQ was receptive to the suggestion and we will further discuss this following Thursday’s radio broadcast.
Media have been continuing to follow the story, garnering national coverage. Local media outlets in Sacramento have been especially helpful in covering this story – including The Sacramento Press, FOX40 and The Sacramento Bee. Community blogs have also been extremely effective in sharing updates on this issue and mobilizing readers to take action.
Finally, it should be noted that yet another advertiser has dropped their contract with the station. Guitar Center Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Norman Hajjar, directly reached out to GLAAD following emails from concerned community members.
Norman has provided us with this statement to share with our readers:
Last Thursday, I asked our media agency to speak to KRXQ about the outrageous comments made by their morning on-air team. I wasn’t satisfied with the station’s response. So we decided to pull our dollars from the station.
It’s simple: wrong is wrong. We don’t want our brand associated with such epic insensitivity.
Guitar Center now becomes the 11th confirmed advertiser to pull their contract from KRXQ. You can read more about the others here and here.
Please stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: KRXQ Radio Host Rob Williams Declares Failure
June 7, 2009
I received a tip from a GLAADblog follower about a statement posted by KRXQ radio host Rob Williams who owns the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show. At 11:50am PST, Williams issued a statement about their May 28 segment where Rob and Arnie made offensive remarks against transgender children. They refused to apologize on a follow-up show.
The statement comes after a week of turmoil for the radio station. On June 1, GLAAD issued a Call to Action that mobilized hundreds of people to contact the radion station and voice their concerns. You can read more about that here and here.
Huffington Post blogger Michael Rowe and Pam’s House Blend contributor Autumn Sandeen were key reporters regularly following the issue. Their crucial coverage and GLAAD’s Call to Action resulted in a flurry of media pick-up. Concerned community members also began to contact companies and urge them to pull their advertising contracts from KRXQ. I then ended up fielding emails and calls from companies who wanted GLAAD to post and distribute their statements to either pull or not renew advertising on the radio station due to the offensive broadcast. You can read more about that here.
GLAAD received an email on Friday, June 5 at 5:28pm EST from KRXQ station management indicating a desire to speak with us about a possible resolution for their defamatory and dehumanizing remarks. We were told that KRXQ would call us on Monday, June 8 to hear their proposal. Then radio host Rob posts a statement on the incident.
GLAAD looks forward to hearing from KRXQ management and their proposal of concrete assurances that will rectify their previous coverage on transgender children. GLAAD will continue to consult with our partners on this issue to ensure the community is well-represented when speaking to KRXQ.
Stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
Rob Williams Statement:
UPDATED JUNE 7TH, 2009, 11:50AM
TO OUR LOYAL ROB, ARNIE AND DAWN FOLLOWERS,
WE HAVE FAILED YOU. AS A SHOW, AS PEOPLE, AS BROADCASTERS, WE HAVE SIMPLY FAILED ON ALMOST EVERY LEVEL.
WE PRESENTED OUR OPINIONS ON A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT IN A HATEFUL, CHILDISH AND CRUDE FASHION; AND THEN, GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETRACT THOSE REMARKS, WE DEFENDED THEM.
SINCE THEN, YOU, OUR LOYAL LISTENERS, HAVE MADE IT CLEAR TO US THAT WE WENT TOO FAR. THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING. NONE OF YOU SAID THAT WE COULDN’T HAVE OPINIONS, YET SO MANY OF YOU SAID THAT THE WAY WE GAVE THEM CROSSED THE LINE. FURTHER, YOU SAID THAT OUR ATTEMPT TO MASK OUR COMMENTS AS “JOKES THAT WOULD BE UNDERSTOOD BY OUR AUDIENCE,” WAS UNACCEPTABLE. I WOULD SAY NOW THAT IT WAS WORSE THAN THAT, IT WAS COWARDLY. YOU HAVE MADE THAT CLEAR.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO VARIOUS GROUPS AND ASKED FOR A CHANCE TO MAKE THIS RIGHT; TO RESPOND, WITH THEIR PARTICIPATION, TO THE EDUCATION THAT OUR AUDIENCE HAS PROVIDED US. THAT OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN GRACIOUSLY GRANTED THIS THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 11TH. AT 7:30 A.M.
THE WORD APOLOGY APPEARS NO WHERE IN THIS LETTER FOR A REASON. WE ALREADY HID FROM DOING THE RIGHT THING ONCE AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN. APOLOGIZING IN A WRITTEN, POSTED STATEMENT IS A FORM OF COWARDICE. WE WILL SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID THIS THURSDAY.
ON A FINAL, PERSONAL NOTE, AS THE LEADER AND OWNER OF THE SHOW, I HAVE MADE THE DECISION THAT WE NEED TO REFRAIN FROM BROADCASTING NEW EPISODES UNTIL WE CAN ADDRESS THIS ON THURSDAY . WE WILL RETURN TO THE AIR AT 7:30 A.M. JUNE 11TH.
ROB WILLIAMS
ROB, ARNIE AND DAWN
UPDATE: McDonald’s Is 10th Company to Pull KRXQ Advertising
June 5, 2009
GLAAD just posted a recap of its activity relating to KRXQ and its offensive comments against transgender children. The summary also included a statement from AT&T announcing their decision to pull its advertising from the radio station. You can find all of that plus recent media coverage here.
Minutes after posting our recap, I received an email from McDonald’s at 9:17pm EST. Soon after I spoke with a member of the McDonald’s Public Relations team who wanted us to post and distribute their statement.
McDonald’s wrote:
McDonald’s has a proud legacy of diversity and inclusion. The views expressed by the hosts are not consistent with our core values.
As such, we are in the process of withdrawing advertising from KRXQ until further notice.
McDonald’s USA LLC, Pacific Sierra Region
The global fast food chain now becomes the tenth company to either retract or to not renew its advertising contract with KRXQ.
The entire listing of companies include:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
- Wells Fargo
- Nissan North America
- AT&T
- McDonald’s
We continue urging people to voice their concerns with the radio station. Information can be found here.
Stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Nissan Won’t Renew KRXQ Advertising Contract
June 5, 2009
On May 28, KRXQ radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States spent more than 30 minutes making dehumanizing and defamatory comments against transgender children. You can listen to the original broadcast here since it appears the audio is no longer available on radio show’s website.
Seven companies have confirmed they pulled their advertising contracts with KRXQ or will not renew in the future as a result of offensive comments made by the two shock jocks. Another company has decided to step forward and release a statement on the incident.
At 5:10pm, I received a phone call from Nissan North America. I spoke with the Director of Corporate Communications who wanted to provide GLAAD with the following statement on their advertising with KRXQ.
Nissan North America’s statement reads:
Nissan does not support the views expressed during the May 28th broadcast on the Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning show on KRXQ.
Our advertising purchase with this show ended June 1 and we will not renew it.
Currently the list of companies no longer advertising on KRXQ includes:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
- Wells Fargo
- Nissan North America
Please check back with us for more developments on this story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Wells Fargo Stands By Transgender Community
June 5, 2009
Today, GLAAD has received confirmations from three different companies pulling their advertising contracts from KRXQ. Bank of America, Verizon and Carl’s Jr have all publicly issued statements (here and here) that announced the pulling of their advertisements on the radio station as a result of the offensive comments made by radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States.
At 4:51pm EST, Wells Fargo reached out to GLAAD about KRXQ. Apparently, the radio station had placed Wells Fargo’s logo on their website leading people to believe they were current KRXQ advertisers.
Wells Fargo provided the following statement to GLAAD on the issue:
Thank you for your message. We appreciate your feedback and take such matters seriously.
We are strongly committed to equality for all and we do not tolerate discrimination. When we learned of the inappropriate comments made during the May 28th KXRQ broadcast we immediately removed our logo from the radio station’s Web site.
Wells Fargo was not an advertiser on the May 28 broadcast, is not currently advertising with KXRQ, and has not done so for more than a year.
We’re proud of our commitment of supporting many organizations that serve our diverse communities – which is consistent with our company values.
We very much appreciate your comments.
Diversity is at the core of Wells Fargo’s vision and values and Wells Fargo is honored to be on DiversityInc Magazine’s Top 50 list for 2009.
Thank you for taking the time to bring this matter to our attention.
Wells Fargo Communications
The list of companies no longer advertising on KRXQ includes:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
- Wells Fargo
Please check back with us for more developments on this story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Verizon and Carl’s Jr Pull KRXQ Advertising
June 5, 2009
Two more companies have pulled their advertising as a result of the offensive comments made by KRXQ radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States.
At 2:33pm EST, I received a statement from Verizon. The company provides phone, Internet, TV, wireless and service bundles to residential, business, government and wholesale clients.
In a one-sentence statement, Verizon wrote:
We have no plans to advertise on KRXQ.
Additionally at 3:40pm EST, I spoke with the Public Relations department at Carl’s Jr. They confirmed the restaurant chain withdrew all of their advertising.
Carl’s Jr wrote:
We have pulled all of our ads from KXRQ. We did this as soon as the matter was brought to our attention. We appreciate your concern and thank you for contacting CKE Restaurants on this matter.
Regards,
CKE, Public Relations
Guest Response Line: (877) 799-7827
The list of companies no longer advertising on KRXQ includes:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
Please check back with us for more developments on this story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: KRXQ Responds to GLAAD’s Call to Action
June 2, 2009
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.
In a vile diatribe, radio show hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States spent more than a half hour making highly offensive comments about transgender children when discussing a recent story about a transgender child and her parents’ decision to support her transition in Omaha, NE.
The two hosts encouraged child abuse as a so-called “cure” for their gender identity with even one host later suggesting shock therapy. You can listen to the entire segment here.
Hosts of the show Rob Arnie & Dawn
Yesterday, we reached out to KRXQ management to raise our deepest concerns and demand an apology for the radio broadcast. We not only called, but also emailed the KRXQ General Manager, John Geary.
GLAAD received a reply from Mr. Geary on Tuesday, June 2 at 9:21am EST.
He wrote:
I was out of the office yesterday, so I have yet to hear the segment in question. Let me review it and get back to you later today. Thanks. – John
After waiting for hours with no response, GLAAD issued a Call to Action demanding the radio hosts to apologize for encouraging violence against transgender children.
Because of the many supporters who reach out to the station and hosts, we received a phone call from John Geary at 5:00pm EST today. Geary let us us know that he took our concerns seriously and he claimed to have read all of the emails sent to him about the radio segment.
Geary also told us that the hosts plan to address this issue in the 7:00am PST (10:00am EST) hour on their Wednesday, June 3 broadcast (listen live here).
GLAAD has sent over key resources on transgender issues to inform the radio hosts on what kinds of obstacles transgender people face.
In 2008, Ruby Molina was murdered in Sacramento for being a transgender woman.
Rob Williams and Arnie States have become active contributors to a vicious cycle of ill-informed and cruel rhetoric. Such hateful speech has already shown its devastating effects on transgender people and the communities they belong to.
In 2008 alone, the Transgender Day of Remembrance reported 21 murders of transgender and gender non-conforming people, including:
- January 21, 2008: Adolphus Simmons, 18, (Charleston, SC) who was gunned down while taking out the trash;
- February 10, 2008: Sanesha Stewart (Bronx, NY), stabbed by an acquaintance and left to die alone in her apartment;
- February 12, 2008: Lawrence King, 15, (Oxnard, CA) shot in the head by a 14 year old fellow classmate
- February 22, 2008: Simmie Williams, 17, (Fort Lauderdale, FL) who was shot an dkilled; no arrests have been made;
- July 1, 2008: Ebony Whitaker, 20, (Memphis, TN) who was shot near a daycare center; no arrests have been made;
- July 21, 2008: Angie Zepata, 18, (Greeley, CO) who was beaten to death in her own apartment with a fire extinguisher;
- August 20, 2008: Nakhia Williams, 29, (Louisville, KY) who died 10 days after she was shot and beaten by a group of people outside her apartment;
- September 21, 2008: Ruby Molina, 22, (Sacramento, CA) who was found dead in the American River by fishermen in September;
- November 9, 2008: Duanna Johnson, 42, (Memphis, TN) who was shot to death just weeks ago by unidentified assailants on Nov. 9 after making news earlier when she was beaten by police officers in February. Johnson’s lawsuit against the city of Memphis was still pending at the time of her murder.
- November 14, 2008: Lateisha “Teish” Cannon, 22, (Syracuse, NY) who was shot inside her car with her brother and friend;
- December 26, 2008: Taysia “Taysha” Elzy, 34, (Indianapolis, IN) who was shot and killed along with her boyfriend.
In 2007, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects (NCAVP) reported that 16% of their overall reports were motivated by anti-transgender bias, and that 231 transgender women filed reports of violence. Since violence is often underreported, and the identities of transgender murder victims often misreported, there is no way to know accurate numbers.
It should also be noted the Human Rights Campaign estimates that transgender Americans face a one-in-12 change of being murdered. Statistics from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) show that in schools 14.2% of transgender students report being physically assaulted as a result of their gender expression, while 30.4% experienced physical harassment.
We hope Rob Williams and Arnie States consider these important and sobering pieces of information when addressing the issue tomorrow.
GLAAD will be monitoring tomorrow’s response by the hosts. Please continue to check back for any possible updates or alerts on this developing story.
Marie Osmond On Daughter – So What If She’s Gay?
May 21, 2009
On last night’s Entertainment Tonight interview, Marie Osmond talked to Mary Hart about her daughter’s coming out and recent tabloid stories on a possible rift between them:
I love my daughter! She’s my baby girl, come on. So what if she’s gay? She’s my daughter and she’s an amazing woman and a good kid. I raised her, she better be good.
Osmond, a devout Mormon, also discussed reconciling her religious beliefs and accepting her daughter:
I think it’s sad when we have to separate something from society. Whether it’s, ‘Oh you’re Jewish,’ and then it was ‘Oh you’re a Mormon,’ or ‘Oh you’re gay.’ I love real people.
A lot of women out there have gay children. Who cares? It’s so sad that we have to even segregate all these things. The thing I want is love. You know, I’m a Christian and Christ was that way. He loved everybody.
Earlier this month, Osmond told Los Angeles radio station KOST 103.5 that while she is Mormon she does not impose her religious beliefs on her children and that she supports marriage equality, “Everybody has a right to believe what they believe. But I do think everyone has a right to have civil rights.”
Homofrecuencia: Latin@ Youth Frequency
March 25, 2009
The faces of Homofrecuencia./Las caras de Homofrecuencia.
Every Monday Homofrecuencia hits the airwaves on 90.5FM Radio Arte Chicago. Homofrecuencia is the only Spanish language radio show in the United States for and by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning community produced by youth.
It is produced by students, graduates and volunteers of the Radio Arte Journalism and Media Training Program.
“We’re ahead of other programs because we talk about things that are still controversial in our community…We have people who have been straight allies who have been the most amazing team members. They learn a lot about our community,” says Managing Producer Emmanuel Garcia.
Todos los lunes Homofrecuencia se puede escuchar por 90.5FM Radio Arte Chicago. Homofrecuencia es el único programa radial en español en los Estados Unidos hecho por y para la comunidad lesbiana, gay, bisexual, transgénero y “queer” producido por jovenes. Es producido por estudiantes, graduados y voluntarios del programa de periodismo y capacitación en los medios de Radio Arte.
“Estamos al frente de otros programas por que hablamos de cosas que aun son controversiales en nuestra comunidad…Tenemos a personas heterosexuales que han formado parte del equipo y han sido compañeros formidables. Aprenden mucho de nuestra comunidad”, dice el gerente de producción Emmanuel Garcia.
Reaching the community./Llegando a la comunidad.
Homofrecuencia consists of news, music, commentary, documentaries and discussions within the human rights context of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning community. “A lot of people tend to run into us that aren’t part of our community.
We’re not just preaching to the choir…We’re talking about marriage. A lot of Latinos don’t know what that means. With all that happened in California and Florida and Latinos voting a certain way, it’s really important to educate the public about why we’re protesting,” Garcia says.
Working it out on the board./Trabajando duro.
Homofrecuencia consiste de noticias, música, comentarios, documentales y discusiones dentro del contexto de los derechos humanos para la comunidad lesbiana, gay, bisexual, transgénero y “queer”. “Mucha gente que no forma parte de nuestra comunidad sintoniza por accidente.
No estamos solamente predicando a los convertidos…Estamos hablando sobre el matrimonio. Muchos latinos no saben que significa esto. Con todo lo que pasó en California y Florida y como votaron los latinos, es importante educar al público el por que estamos protestando”, dice Garcia.
Nestor Rivera, Ireri Unzueta Carrasco, Tayben Ramirez, Eduardo Culbeaux y Deyanira Ávila Zapata
For more information about Homofrecuencia and to listen live on Mondays from 7-9pm CST/8-10pm EST visit: www.wrte.org/homofrecuencia
Para más información sobre Homofrecuencia y para escuchar el programa en vivo los lunes de 7-9pm CST/8-10pm EST visita: www.wrte.org/homofrecuencia.
