O'Reilly: "I  think everybody's got  to relax on all this gay stuff"
 
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:08:04 -0400


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<p><b>O'Reilly: "I  think everybody's got  to relax on all this gay stuff" </b></p>
<p><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200708170005?src=item200708170005">http://mediamatters.org/items/200708170005</a></p>

<p>On the August 15 edition of his Fox 
News television show, <a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/people/billoreilly?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/people/billoreilly">Bill 
O&#39;Reilly</a> responded to a viewer&#39;s email questioning his August 
14 remarks about Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), who had, at a presidential forum 
the week before, said that he believes homosexuality is a "choice." According to 
the viewer, O&#39;Reilly had said that Richardson "looked bad" by answering as he did. 
O&#39;Reilly replied: "I think everybody&#39;s got to relax on all this gay stuff." On 
that August 14 show, O&#39;Reilly had discussed Richardson&#39;s August 9 remarks at the Human Rights Campaign/ 
Logo presidential forum, during which Richardson was asked by singer Melissa 
Etheridge, a panelist at the forum, "Do you think homosexuality is a choice, or 
is biological?" O&#39;Reilly, hosting "body language expert" Tonya Reiman, had said 
that the video clip of Richardson&#39;s exchange with Etheridge "is one of 
my favorite clips recently." He later said of Richardson: "[H]e made a mistake. I think he&#39;s 
mad at himself for blowing the thing about &#39;Do you feel gays are born?&#39; and he goes, &#39;No.&#39; " (Richardson subsequently issued 
a <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/48728141_bill_richardson_bill_richardson_governor_bill_richardsons_statement_clarifying_answer_hrc_f" title="http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/48728141_bill_richardson_bill_richardson_governor_bill_richardsons_statement_clarifying_answer_hrc_f">statement</a> saying: "Let me be clear -- I 
do not believe that sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice. ... But I&#39;m not a scientist, 
and the point I was trying to make is that no matter how it happens, we are all 
equal and should be treated that way under the law.")</p>

<p>But O&#39;Reilly has repeatedly 
demonstrated his own inability to "relax on all this gay stuff" with a history 
of controversial, misleading, and false claims about gays and lesbians. For 
instance:</p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">Referring to the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/supremejudicialcourt/goodridge.html" title="http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/supremejudicialcourt/goodridge.html">ruling</a> 
by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court striking down state restrictions on 
the right of same-sex couples to marry, he claimed that, in "10 years, this is 
gonna be a totally different country than it is right now." He added: "Laws that 
you think are in stone -- they&#39;re gonna evaporate, man. You&#39;ll be able to marry 
a goat -- you mark my words!" (Westwood One&#39;s <i>The Radio Factor with Bill O&#39;Reilly</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200503310004?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200503310004">03/29/05</a>) </li></ul>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">While discussing the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/13/male_inmates_bid_to_marry_denied?pg=full" title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/13/male_inmates_bid_to_marry_denied?pg=full">case</a> 
of two male Massachusetts prison 
inmates who requested prison officials&#39; permission to marry, O&#39;Reilly asserted 
that "this crazy gay marriage insanity -- is gonna lead to all kinds of things 
like this" like "somebody[]" coming "in and say[ing], &#39;I wanna marry the goat.&#39; 
" (<i>Radio Factor</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200504150005?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200504150005">04/13/05</a>) </li></ul>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">He has claimed that the 
secular progressive movement "would like to have marriage abolished ... because 
it is not diverse enough." He explained: "That&#39;s what this gay marriage thing is all 
about." O&#39;Reilly then warned of the possibility of "poly-amorphous" [sic] marriage, in which "you can marry 18 people, 
you can marry a duck." (<i>Radio 
Factor</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200509160009?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200509160009">09/14/05</a>) </li></ul>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">O&#39;Reilly has argued 
that legalizing same-sex marriage will lead to nuptials between humans and other 
species, saying that "[o]ne of the arguments against gay marriage ... is that if 
it becomes law, all other alternative marital visions will be allowed." He then 
related the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10694972/" title="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10694972/">story</a> of a British woman, Sharon 
Tendler, who "married" a dolphin in Israel. (<i>O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200601050008?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200601050008">01/04/06</a>) 
</li></ul>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">While discussing New 
York City Councilwoman Christine Quinn&#39;s <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1735480" title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1735480">decision</a> 
to boycott Manhattan&#39;s St. Patrick&#39;s Day parade over the 
decision by the Ancient Order of Hibernians to ban the Irish Lesbian and Gay 
Organization (ILGO) from marching, O&#39;Reilly attacked Quinn, calling ILGO&#39;s 
potential participation in the parade "inappropriate." O&#39;Reilly asked, "Why 
doesn&#39;t Ms. Quinn and others who support her wise up?" and stated: "You have 
your Gay Day parade. You have your Stonewall celebration. You have your 
Halloween deal, OK? You don&#39;t need this." </li></ul>

<p>He also asserted: "I don&#39;t want 
these people intruding on a parade where little children are standing there, 
watching" for fear that children would ask, "Mommy, what does that mean?" 
O&#39;Reilly falsely claimed that "[n]o Irish people are banned from marching in the 
parade" and likened ILGO&#39;s participation in the parade to wearing a shirt 
proclaiming "I&#39;m queer" to a baptism. (<i>O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200603210012?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200603210012">03/17/06</a>)</p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">While discussing gay 
parents "who wore rainbow colors to signal their homosexuality" during the 2006 
White House Easter Egg Roll, O&#39;Reilly asserted: "I think that the Easter egg deal is going to 
do more harm than good to the cause of gay rights, because most Americans say, 
&#39;Enough. This is a kids&#39; event. Don&#39;t make it a political event. Don&#39;t use a 
kids&#39; event to try to forward a political agenda, no matter what it is.&#39; 
" </li></ul>

<p>Later, O&#39;Reilly repeatedly asked 
former San 
Francisco mayor Willie Brown: "[H]ow would you answer a 
question from a 6-year-old who said: &#39;Mommy, why are they wearing those 
rainbow?&#39; -- because it&#39;s going to catch their eye. &#39;Why are they doing that? 
And who are these people and where is their daddy?&#39; ...&#39;Why? Where&#39;s the mommy? 
Why do they have two daddies?&#39; " O&#39;Reilly concluded: "I think it was 
inappropriate at the Easter egg roll, just like 
the St. Patrick&#39;s Day thing was inappropriate." (<i>O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>; 
04/17/06)</p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">O&#39;Reilly has dismissed 
scientific research on same-sex parenting to assert that "[n]ature dictates that 
a dad and a mom is the optimum" form of child-rearing. O&#39;Reilly asked "why," if 
children suffer no psychosocial deficit from being raised by same-sex parents, 
"wouldn&#39;t nature then make it that anybody could get pregnant by eating a 
cupcake?" O&#39;Reilly declared that by arguing in favor of same-sex couples&#39; right 
to raise children, "you&#39;re taking Mother Nature and you&#39;re throwing it right out 
the window, and I just think it&#39;s crazy." (<i>O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200612150001?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200612150001">12/13/06</a>) </li></ul>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal">O&#39;Reilly called the San 
Diego Padres&#39; decision to <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://sandiegopride.org/125/Out_at_Petco_Park_with_the_Padres.htm" title="http://sandiegopride.org/125/Out_at_Petco_Park_with_the_Padres.htm">host</a> 
a gay pride night and a children&#39;s hat giveaway promotion during the same July 8 
baseball game "insensitive," "dumb," "almost unbelievable," and a "mistake." He 
said it was "insane" to "cluster" gays and lesbians during a "hat giveaway for 
any kid under 12." O&#39;Reilly reported that "thousands of gay adults showed up and 
commingled with straight families," adding, "[C]lear-thinking people understand 
it is completely out of context and inappropriate." 
</li></ul>

<p>When San Diego Pride executive 
director Ron deHarte said that it "was no different than any other game," 
O&#39;Reilly responded, "But you are focusing in and putting more homosexuals into 
an area. OK? See, that&#39;s the problem." He added: "You&#39;re putting it in a kid&#39;s 
face at a baseball game." He later also asserted: "This is social engineering by 
the Padres."</p>

<p>The next day, O&#39;Reilly responded to a viewer&#39;s 
email stating that O&#39;Reilly&#39;s "position seems to imply that putting gays and 
kids together in one place is a bad thing," adding, "[K]ids are around gays 
every day." O&#39;Reilly replied: "But not thousands of them, sir. That can be 
confusing to children." O&#39;Reilly did not clarify exactly what number of gay 
people he believed children could safely be around without becoming 
"confus[ed]." (<i>O&#39;Reilly 
Factor</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707120004?offset=20&amp;show=1" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707120004?offset=20&amp;show=1">07/11/07</a> 
and <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707130006?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707130006">07/12/07</a>)</p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: navy">O&#39;Reilly attacked 
a July 16 <i>Los Angeles Times</i> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-samesex16jul16,0,1158969.story?coll=la-home-center" title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200708170005&http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-samesex16jul16,0,1158969.story?coll=la-home-center
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-samesex16jul16,0,1158969.story?coll=la-home-center">article</a> 
that reported on the fact that while "heterosexuals can [sponsor] their husbands 
and wives" for green cards, gay or 
lesbian U.S. 
citizens 
cannot do the 
same for their 
partners. He said, "Well, 
what about the triads, OK, you know." Despite later 
acknowledging that heterosexual bi-national couples must go through a "process," 
O&#39;Reilly argued that if the law changed: "[A]nybody could say, &#39;Hey, I&#39;m gay. 
You gotta let in Lenny, my friend over here.&#39; " He added: "[A]re they gonna do a 
demonstration in front of the immigration authorities? Are they gonna 
demonstrate their gayness?" </li></ul>

<p>O&#39;Reilly later asserted that "[t]his 
is social engineering" and went on to compare the legalization of gay marriage 
to that of "triads," adding: "I know people in love with three women. And so 
you&#39;re gonna bring that in." 
O&#39;Reilly repeatedly asked how same-sex couples would "demonstrate 
their gayness" before immigration authorities, if a gay or lesbian U.S. 
citizen were allowed to sponsor a non-citizen partner for a green card. 
(<i>Radio Factor</i>; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707190010?src=item200708170005" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707190010">07/17/07</a>)</p>

<p>From the August 15 edition of Fox 
News&#39; <i>The O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>:</p><blockquote>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: [Viewer], Ridge Crest, California: "Bill, you 
said Bill Richardson looked bad by saying he believed homosexuality was a 
choice. So you&#39;re saying politicians need to avoid speaking the truth if their 
opinions aren&#39;t PC?" </p>

<p>I think everybody&#39;s got to relax on all this gay 
stuff. Richardson looked silly trying to explain 
himself. That was obvious, and that&#39;s what I pointed out, and Tonya Reiman 
concurred.</p></blockquote>

<p>From the August 14 edition of Fox 
News&#39; <i>The O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>:</p><blockquote>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: Let&#39;s get to Bill Richardson. This is 
one of my favorite clips recently. Melissa Etheridge, the singer, is 
interviewing Richardson on the gay channel. Roll it.</p>

<p>[begin video 
clip]</p><blockquote>

<p>ETHERIDGE: Do you think homosexuality is a choice, or is 
biological?</p>

<p>RICHARDSON: It&#39;s a 
choice. It&#39;s -- I&#39;m not a scientist. It&#39;s -- it&#39;s -- you know, I don&#39;t see this as an issue 
of science or definition. I see gays and lesbians as 
people, as a matter of human decency. I see it as a matter of love.</p></blockquote>

<p>[end video 
clip]</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: I hate to laugh, but 
--</p>

<p>REIMAN: He was so uncomfortable. He was so uncomfortable. 
It was painful to watch.</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: Yeah.</p>

<p>REIMAN: OK, so you see the constant head-shaking back. He&#39;s looking 
down the entire time. He doesn&#39;t want to answer this question, and he doesn&#39;t want to be asked this question. At 
one point during the interview, you know -- he&#39;s looking emotional, now -- but you see the sneer 
come through. And that sneer, that little sneer, tells me that he was kind of 
aggravated about this.</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: Well, he knew he made a mistake. I think he&#39;s 
mad at himself for blowing the thing about "Do you feel gays are born?" and he goes, 
"No."</p>

<p>REIMAN: Yeah. Right.</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: So, I think he&#39;s mad at himself for botching it 
right from the jump.</p>

<p>REIMAN: It was painful. He was 
definitely uncomfortable. And all the pauses, the "ahs," the "ums" --</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: He didn&#39;t know what to 
say.</p>

<p>REIMAN: No. He was stumped for 
sure.</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: All right. I&#39;ve seen that 
on this program a couple of times. And -- well, there you go.</p></blockquote>

<p>From the April 17, 2006, edition of Fox News&#39; 
<i>The O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>:</p><blockquote>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: Joining us now from San Francisco is the former 
mayor of that town and current radio talk show host Willie Brown.</p>

<p>I talked about this on <i>The Radio Factor</i> today. I think that the 
Easter egg deal is going to 
do more harm than good to the cause of gay rights, because most Americans 
say, "Enough. This is a kids&#39; 
event. Don&#39;t make it a political event. Don&#39;t use a kids&#39; event to try to 
forward a political agenda, no matter what it is." Am I wrong?</p>

<p>BROWN: I think you are wrong in this 
particular case because I don&#39;t think the movement was for the purpose -- of the showing up was 
frankly for the purpose of making any political statement.</p>

<p>I think that the people who showed 
up with their children wanted people to know that children are people of the same sex are 
absolutely no different from children of the people who are from persons who are 
heterosexuals.</p>

<p>And I think it&#39;s important for that 
ignorance to be exploded, and I think that&#39;s what persons were attempting to do 
when they showed up on the White House lawn, saying, "These are my kids, and 
they have two mothers." "These are my kids and they have two fathers."</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: We talked to the leader of 
the group on the radio, and she basically said, "Look, we want people to know that same-sex 
parents have -- don&#39;t 
have the same rights, and we want gay marriage." And she kind of admitted that it was a 
political deal.</p>

<p>But how would you answer a question 
from a 6-year-old who said: "Mommy, why are they wearing those 
rainbow?" -- because 
it&#39;s going to catch their eye. "Why are they doing that? And who are these 
people and where is their daddy?" 
And I mean, it&#39;s an Easter egg roll, Mr. Mayor. 
I mean, why do we have to get into all of that at an Easter egg roll?</p>

<p>BROWN: Well, I think, first of all, 
I think that kid would also ask: "Why an Easter egg roll? What&#39;s that 
all about?" I think every time an -- 
</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: Well, that&#39;s about the 
Easter bunny and Easter time. Come on.</p>

<p>BROWN: Well, and the explanation the mother would 
offer would be similar, i.e., that kid doesn&#39;t know why the Easter egg hunt or the Easter roll, or whatever 
they call it, and the same would go for people who are wearing those colors.</p>

<p>"Mommy, why are they wearing those 
colors and why is it that they&#39;re two males or why is it there are two 
females?" She would proceed to tell him, and he would notice that that little 
kid that he&#39;s playing with trying to find the [unintelligible] egg is 
absolutely no different from himself. 
</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: OK, but do you really --</p>

<p>BROWN: It will begin to remove 
--</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: Do you really want a 6-year-old to get into 
a homosexual discussion at an Easter egg roll?</p>

<p>BROWN: It would not be a homosexual 
discussion. She would simply say: "He has two daddies or he has two 
mothers."</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: But they&#39;ll say, "Why?" You know how kids are. 
"Why? Where&#39;s the mommy? Why do they have two daddies?" You know that.</p>

<p>BROWN: Simply because they don&#39;t 
have any other siblings 
or they 
don&#39;t have any other parents 
or they 
don&#39;t have any of this or any of that. There&#39;s no other explanation. And it&#39;s good to 
start those kids really early understanding that the so-called differences do 
not exist.</p>

<p>O&#39;REILLY: I disagree with that. I just don&#39;t -- I don&#39;t mind the 
protest. I think it was inappropriate at the Easter egg roll, just like the St. Patrick&#39;s Day thing was 
inappropriate.</p></blockquote><table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
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