Dr. Laura Schlessinger has a syndicated daily radio show with 8.5 million daily listeners. She doles out advice on marriages, family and other personal relationships from a conservative perspective. She unabashedly confronts her callers with what she perceives to be their irresponsible decisions and advises personal responsibility.
I’ve listened to Dr. Laura, on and off, for over a decade. While for many years Dr. Laura simply dispensed advice, in the late 90’s and early part of this century she began to become quite political, encouraging her listeners to write letters and make phone calls on legislation that she favored or opposed. Some of this legislation had an impact on the lives of gay people.
In 2000, a television show was developed around Dr. Laura and her advice. Certain gay activists, including GLAAD and a dedicated website, went on the offensive to ensure that Dr. Laura’s empire did not successfully branch into television. Protests were staged and revenues targeted using the tactic of showing potential advertisers selected abstracts from Dr. Laura’s radio show in which she made disparaging remarks about gay people.
Whether because of the activism, because of abysmal ratings, or because of accusations made regarding planted audience participants and fake guests, Dr. Laura’s television show was quickly removed from the air.
In 2005 2000 Dr. Laura has also ventured into the ex-gay conversation by writing the foreword to Richard Cohen’s book Coming Out Straight : Understanding and Healing Homosexuality. (I don’t know if the current version contains a foreword by Dr. Laura, the cover does not feature her name as did the earlier version)
After her TV show tanked, Dr. Laura seemed to drop the politics and focus instead on interpersonal relationships of her callers. Somewhere along that time her language also began to be less abrasive and while it seemed that she held a great deal of bitterness towards the gay community, she demonstrated less vitriol when addressing actual gay callers.
Later that year she In 2005 Dr. Laura spoke to a Los Angeles meeting of Log Cabin Republicans. She stated that this was the first time any gay group had ever invited her to speak. And while her position on parenting seems to remain hostile, this olive branch may perhaps have softened some of her perspective.
Now, in an interview with Radar, Dr. Laura has more to say on the subject of homosexuality and ex-gay efforts.
In the interview, Dr. Laura defends her “biological error” statement
Well, I’ve seen you refer to them as “biological deviants.”
I never said that. See what I mean? See what I mean?That’s what I read. (Editor’s note: Not exactly. The term she used, according to GLAAD, was “biological errors.”)
For 50 years, the homosexual activists have said it’s a biological issue, not a moral issue. Since it’s a biological issue, it’s built in. For example, if a lion comes into the room and kills you, that’s not a moral issue, since the lion has no right or wrong, because it’s built into the DNA. Homosexual activists have said it’s built in, therefore it’s not a choice; and if it’s not a choice, it’s not a moral issue.The classic nature versus nurture argument.
Right. That you don’t create a homosexual by having a close mommy. All I said was exactly the same as the activists have said for 50 years—that it’s a biological error when a person is attracted to a person of the same sex, biologically, as opposed to someone of the opposite sex, because that’s not the reproductive pressure. That’s all I said. That’s it! I didn’t put anyone down.
one-ups the “some of my best friends are” cliche
My two best friends in the world are—shock!—gay men. I have a ton of gay friends. I even have a brand-new transsexual friend. I have no problem with them, and they have no problem with me.
Tells gay men how to deal with anti-gay parents
Well, as long as we’re getting personal, I have a question: my partner’s mother has tried to put him into therapy because she’s not comfortable with the fact that he’s gay. They haven’t talked in quite some time as a result of that. [Editor’s note: Neel Shah is not, in fact, gay. He is, however, gay friendly.]
That’s very sad.Is there anything that can be done in our situation?
Well, when parents call me, or when young gay guys call me and say, My parents don’t like this and want me to go into reparative therapy, here’s what I say: If parents are willing to have you over for dinner and Christmas with family, but they don’t like that you’re gay, you just have to accept that. They are allowed to have that opinion. What they’re not allowed to do, as decent mommies and daddies, is reject you.
seems to possibly support relationships for gay men
All I know is that male loners—straight or gay—tend to do more bad things.
What do you mean by loners?
Well, you know how they always say the guy who went and shot up a bunch of people at work, or who was a serial killer—these are unattached guys, loners. Unattached men are dangerous creatures [laughs]. I can tell you that. You don’t normally see a guy, married, three kids, blah blah blah, in monogamous relationship for 20 years, out doing bad stuff.
(That statement may have been more effective had it not been made in the context of Ted Haggard. She seems to not know who he is or that he was married with kids and in a supposedly monogamous relationship for many years.)
And weighs in on reparative therapy
Do you think reparative therapy is effective?
Evidently it is with some people. This is not an area I am very researched in. There’s a psychiatrist from Columbia, I can’t remember his name, but he says with some people who are highly motivated, evidently it works for them.Motivated to not be gay?
Right. I forget his name, though. Damn. You can look it up. [Editor’s note: We did, it’s Professor Robert Spitzer, M.D.]
The interviewer missed a great opportunity to ask Dr. Laura if she still endorses Richard Cohen’s therapy involving cuddling the patient or his beating a pillow with a tennis racquet. And he seemed to be more interested in being confrontational and “catching” Dr. Laura than in a substantive interview and consequently does not come across as well-prepared.
However, the questions asked do give a greater understanding into the thinking and opinions of this very influential woman. And since she perceives herself to be gay supportive, perhaps her best friends will be able to help her thinking evolve on issues of legal equality.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but I used to be a big Dr. Laura fan in the 1990s (during my ex-gay days). My gay co-worker and I would regularly listen to her show. I even read her books and attended one of her lectures. However, as she reached the peak of her popularity, she definitely became much more arrogant and opinionated and much less interested in hearing her callers. The last time I recently heard her, she now just cuts-off her callers, makes huge assumptions, and refuses to here any talk back.
She has about as much credibility as Joan Rivers. Hmmm…are you sure that isn’t Joan Rivers? The picture looks…well…okay…it’s Laura. But I still maintain she has no better counsel and advice for gays & lesbians than what an entertainer would give.
I haven’t listened to her radio program for some time now, but used to listen regularly. Years ago (I’m thinking it was very early 90’s) she didn’t have nearly the hostility against gays that she developed later. It wasn’t until after her conversion to a certain religion that she developed a more anti-gay rhetoric. (I’ll leave the religion unnamed because it is irrelevant and because my intent isn’t to denigrate religion in general or this religion specifically).
I did always appreciate her no-nonsense approach of cutting through the clutter and getting to the core issue of personal responsibility and providing a more objective perspective.
Perhaps, in light of the other comments, this may not be the case any more?
Hmmm… I remember reading Cohen’s book back in 2002, and Dr. Laura’s endorsement/forward was included back then – not sure where you got the 2005 date? I used to hear her on local radio all the time, but I don’t think there’s a single station in my area that carries her anymore.
Thanks for the date correction. I revised the text for accuracy.
It’s interesting to see her backpedal a little bit on the “biological error” statement. She certainly was not saying the same thing as “homosexual activists” because the word “error” is pretty darn loaded. But IMHO she can backpedal all she wants as long as she ends up in a place that’s less judgmental (as it seems maybe she is).
Hey she may look like Joan Rivers but she has a lot more clout among the far right than she is given credit for. I personally did not like her radio talk show and felt that it was often judgemental and divisive. I do think it will be an awesome thing if she does one day become an advocate for GLBT people and their families. I think that she definitely could be a wonderful advocate. Just the pure fact that she took Log Cabin up on this speaking opportunity is a good sign. We need to be much more eager to offer friendship to people like Dr. Laura when they show even a little bit of a desire to offer friendship toward us. Our community has come a long way and is growing up a lot. I am proud of this.
OK… so she, her reputation and her media empire went around the s-bend in no uncertain fashion… and now she’s trying to re-brand herself.
Who cares.
At least some things do not change: her basic dishonesty.
The transcript clearly shows the context around “not-a-Dr-of-psychology” Laura’s comments. The ‘biological error’ statement came at the end of a diatribe about “gay activists” (and, apparently, you are a gay activist if you are 1) gay 2) comment or complain, as any citizen is entitled to).
Emphasising the importance and superiority of heterosexuality, she produced that gem as the evidence. A “and by the way, don’t you lot ever forget that you are a biological error” stab at all gay men and women. It was most certainly intended to be a put down. A blunt reminder that ‘you gays’ are not as good as ‘normal people’.
GLAAD, as they do, have a collection of Schlessinger’s on-air comments. Even a cursory glance through the headlines leaves little doubt about the viewpoint she promoted when she had an audience.
She had her chance at that time to display a respectful attitude, and she failed; miserably. Her inability to honestly admit her behaviour, even now, indicates she’s still failing to be respectful.
Goodbye. Good riddance. Next!
Wow! She has a brand-new transsexual friend! And that means…what? I have no idea.
If she comes out in favor of ENDA or LLEEA after her previous comments, then I’d give more weight to her friendships having some significance.
Wow! She has a brand-new transsexual friend! And that means…what? I have no idea.
Come now, Autumn, you should know that abusive relationships are an epidemic in the transgendered community.
Dr. Laura is just coming full circle. She started her radio career with a definate humanist perspective, as a caller to the late, great Bill Ballance’s radio show in Los Angeles. She soon became an in-studio guest, and then his mistress.
Like so many radio personalities, Dr. Laura simply professes the beliefs of the target audience. During the waning days of full service radio in the late 70s, she was on KMPC and KABC, Los Angeles, playing the warm, caring, supportive friend. When radio went conservative, she did too, becoming the preachy, intolerant scold Paramount Television tried to market.
Now that the religious right is losing favor, she’s remaking herself again. Next, she’ll be telling us how openminded she is, pointing to those nude photos Ballance released of her to prove she was a hypocrite, and claiming she’s really been a closet liberal all along.
Who? Laura Schlessinger Who? Why should one care?
Am I the only one whose eyes are popping out over this:
“Well, you know how they always say the guy who went and shot up a bunch of people at work, or who was a serial killer—these are unattached guys, loners. Unattached men are dangerous creatures [laughs]. I can tell you that.”
WHAT!?!?
Though, reading some of her comments on the GLAAD website I can see that’s pretty much par for the course with her. Maybe someone in her ton of friends can explain to her why it’s ‘putting someone down’ to call them a ‘biological error’.
If the woman is experiencing a change of heart, then bless her and I hope that she is sincere…. but I fail to see how this statement: “My two best friends in the world are—shock!—gay men. I have a ton of gay friends. I even have a brand-new transsexual friend. I have no problem with them, and they have no problem with me” means anything. I have seen many social conservatives who keep ‘token’ gay and/or transgender folks in their social circle simply to keep up the appearance of being open-minded, yet secretly regarding these friends the same way that one would think of a physically handicapped pet dog or a retarded person. (“Oh the poor thing, he/she is just confused and hurt, they can’t help it.”) There was even once a time when the gay community desperately fed off of this sort of morally condescending attitude to gain a footing for (marginally) more positive representation. I think that we as a community have moved way past that at this point. Having GLBTQ friends indicates nothing regarding one’s inner attitude toward them. Forgive me if this all sounds too cynical. I merely thought that was an important point.
Remember the TV show “Lost in Space”. The robot would say “Warning Warning Will Robinson”
All I can say is Warning Warning GLTB Community. We still have a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
How can you say repackaging to increase market share?
Thank you for your work to bring us complete information.
Cheers ~dp
Nonsequitur I agree with you. I don’t buy for a minute that her best friends are gay or that she has a ton of gay friends. Its a common thing for anti-gay people to claim but you don’t see gay people acknowledging that they’re friends with the likes of Dr. Laura.
Oh, she didn’t mean it as a put-down. She meant “biological error” in the NICEST way possible.
How do her gay best friends feel about her comparing their relationships to a lion mauling someone to death?
She has not changed. She’s just mellowed. Slightly.
I am never really convinced that Dr. Laura and other very sharp tongued television and radio personalities believe much of what they say. They make headlines and make money by being obnoxious and insulting toward others. If that sells, that is what they do. If that isn’t selling, then they try to moderate the image, etc.
She was pandering to a right wing audience that was eating up the anti-gay swill she was swinging. She ended up doing too good a job, and created a backlash from gay activists, and at the same time, more and more average Americans were moderating their views toward gays. So she tries to sing a new tune.
Maybe if she focused on really trying to help people, she wouldn’t have to remake herself every couple of years when the political winds turn.
When someone must and does libel and slander a group for ratings, for sensationalism or controversy-the group can suffer a great deal at the expense of truth and understanding.
It’s disgusting. Imagine the damage done in the meantime since Dr. L got her ‘ton of gay friends and one transsexual’.
BFD…
The LGBT can’t afford friends like Dr. L, too much has been lost and too much is at stake for her to be playing around with other people’s lives so she can profit from it.
And Randi right, what gay people are speaking on her behalf and calling her their friend?
She’s fair weather, like so many who are in the media or politics.
I was there on the picket line at Paramount against her show.
There was a brave gay teenager right beside me on the line.
He was his high school football team’s quarterback and captain. Out and the whole world heard about it when he was profiled in a MA newspaper.
Would that skank Dr. L have HIM in to tell his story, and how he accomplished so much as a gay teen high school athlete?
No.
She’s not the expert, HE is.
I would have had some respect for her and everybody else like her if they’d let boys like that speak for themselves.
He was a fascinating kid. Dark haired, tall and strapping and he’d come a long way from MA to be in Los Angeles to just us activists.
Ya know…
That boy did eventually have his own radio show too.
Take THAT….Dr. L!
Recently, I listened to her show and she was very supportive of a lesbian who called, distressing over the fact that her family was not supportive of her and her partner. Dr. Laura said something like, “Well, then, they need to learn to accept you as you are and if they don’t, then you don’t have any obligation to stand for it.”
I think her outlook is not as homophobic, in practice, as it seems to be — or else she’s modifying her view. What I observe is that she’s profoundly against gay activist rhetoric, bt on a human scale, she encourages families to accept their gay children (and spouses) — and for gay children to not push the issue because it doesn’t really help.
I’m not defending her here because her politics make me sick to my stomach, and her black/white worldview keeps her from seeing shades of gray in personal dealings. But she isn’t “anti-gay” in the classic homphobe sense. She’s just a very Republican conservative.
I was impressed with how she encouraged the lesbian woman to live with integrity according to her own attractions. On the other hand, she’s also dismissive of gay relationships in the sense that she is opposed to the “two mommies” or “two daddies” family structure. She feels strongly that kids should be raised by heterosexual parents.
Regan,
you know I adore you… but let’s not use phrases like “…that skank…”