When someone has a lengthy track record of making ridiculous anti-gay statements, or using the N-word 11 times in a six-minute conversation, you hardly expect them to be given millions of dollars for their gift of gab. Yet Sirius XM Radio has just inked a deal with "Dr." Laura Schlessinger, the controversial talk radio host who has a history of calling gay people "biological errors" and "deviants," and who was ridiculed earlier this year after a rant that saw her use the N-word over and over again.
Schlessinger spoke about her deal with Siruis XM to the Associated Press, slamming the activists that have held her accountable for her hate speech over the years.
"The first and most important thing that appealed to me was the freedom to speak my mind without advertisers and affiliates being attacked by activist groups that just love to censor anything they don't agree with," she said. "That just about made my heart and head explode."
That's right. Schlessinger wants a forum where she can freely use the N-word, say that women are responsible for their husband's affairs, that gay people prey on young children, and that Matthew Shepard deserved to be beaten up and murdered, without facing any sort of accountability for her erroneous and harmful statements. And Sirius XM, it seems, is all too willing to provide Schlessinger with cover.
Let's also not forget that while Schlessinger markets herself as a "Dr." gifted in the areas of counseling, her PhD is in a field that has nothing to do with psychology, social work, psychiatry or mental health. It's in physiology, which is a subsection of biology that studies how cells and biomolecules carry out chemical or physical functions. And while that may mean that Schlessinger has a brain, it certainly doesn't mean that she's professionally educated to serve as a counselor or advisor.
And given her statements about the LGBT community, it's a wonder she hasn't been denounced by mental health practitioners the world over. Here's a brief look back at some of "Dr." Laura's wonderful advice and statements over the years.
"The gay culture? I’m trying to understand, what is that? I remember the 70s and 80s that the line was that this is only about sex, it’s not about anything else, right? So what’s the gay culture? Is that where we get into the promiscuity and the pedophilia?"
"If you are a gay or a lesbian, it's a biological error."
"I call homosexual practices deviant."
But of course, Schlessinger hasn't limited her "counseling" to just thwarting gays. After a Connecticut eighth-grader wrote an essay about free speech and the Internet, "Dr." Laura called out the child by name, and said on air: ""If she was my daughter, I'd probably put her up for adoption. . . .When she makes her marriage vows, and her husband has sex with someone else, let's see if she thinks that this philosophy works."
Telling an eighth grader that she's unworthy of parents, and that she should be doomed to a future where men cheat on her? Yup, Sirius XM just rewarded that type of advice with a heaping, behemoth contract.
Diversity in programming is one thing. But giving a platform to the type of hate speech used by "Dr." Laura? That's unacceptable, no matter what the venue.
"Dr." Laura may have the right to call gay people "biological errors," or say that gay people want to have sex with children, or that women don't give enough sex to their husbands and practically ask to be cheated on. But she should also be held accountable for saying these types of things, which are not only unfounded and ridiculous, but considerably harmful. Send a message to Sirius XM Radio now, letting them know that giving a forum to "Dr." Laura's brand of advice is nothing more than giving someone a soapbox for hate speech.
petition text -
Keep hate speech off SiriusXM Radio
Mr. Karmazin,
SiriusXM radio is no place for hate speech.
Your decision to sign a multi-year contract with Laura Schlessinger will grant a platform for her hateful ideas. Her well-publicized rant in which she repeatedly used the "N-word" is not the first time the talk show host has used incredibly offensive language. In the past she has referred to gays and lesbians as "biological errors" and "deviants." She has also said it is women who should be blamed when their husbands have affairs.
Diversity programming has always been a part of SiriusXM and I wholly support your decision to air stations with divergent political, religious and social differences. In the case of Laura Schelssinger you are going further than adding a voice of diversity, you are giving a platform to a talk show host who espouses hate-filled language.
I strongly urge you to cancel "Dr." Laura Schlessinger's show. Her content and demeanor are below the high standards of your network.
[Your name here]
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