Each week, Queerty picks one blowhard, hypocrite, airhead, sanctimonious prick or other enemy of all that is queer to be the Douche of the Week.
Have a nominee for DOTW? E-mail it to us at [email protected].
On January 31, Todare Bennett, the bouncer at TC’s, a popular Houston drag bar, saw patron Michael Berry leave the club, hop 
into his SUV and ram it into Bennett’s car.
Normally that would just be a bad move coupled with some bad luck.
But Berry (right) is a popular right-wing talk show with an anti-gay, anti-minority agenda: He’s aligned with the Tea Party, hosts a local Fox News segment, has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor and even told listeners once that he hoped the Muslim prayer center being built near Ground Zero would be blown up. Back when he was a Houston city councilman running for mayor, he joined other local conservatives in bashing candidate Annise Parker for being a lesbian. (She won anyway.)
Back to the douchiness at hand: Outside TC’s that night, Bennett ran up to the SUV and clearly identified Berry as the driver, but the shock jock sped away from the scene of the crime. Surveillance cameras confirm that Berry had been at TC’s that night and the bar’s owner claims he’s something of a regular—despite being married to Indian lawyer Nandita Berry.
If you’re going to stand up and say anti-gay things and be conservative and be Mr. Good Guy, and then when something happens that points you out and puts you in a place with the exact business that you aim to shut down, it kind of makes it seem like [you’d think], ‘I need this to go away and I need it to go away quickly.’
To date Houston police haven’t filed charges and Berry hasn’t directly addressed the incident. He did say obliquely on his talk show: “I’ve always said that when you do what you do the way I do it, you make enemies.”
Right, it’s the vast gay conspiracy to accuse Michael Berry of being a closet-case hit-and-run driver at work!
All together now: What a douche!
Nick
For some reason, the best part of this story is the drag angle.
Marie Cohn
This downlow gingerminge needs to be anally deflowered, and I am just the gal to do it.
randy
From what I gathered on other websites, that bay is a known hang out for hustlers. So it wasn’t just a drag show he stopped in to see.
Furthermore, the guy is married, so that pretty much blows apart his traditional family creds. I hope the guy is forced to admit he sucks cock on his radio show.
Philip
Another one bites the pillow, er….the dust.
mike128
He’s married, too? What an *sshole.
Right is Right
So, the Tea Party, Fox News, and Bill O’Reilly all have an anti-gay, anti-minority agenda? What a ludicrous blanket statement (seems someone’s been perusing the Media Matters site a little too much this week). To my knowledge, none of the above have expressed any anti-gay sentiment, and if they have, I’d like to know about it. Seriously, provide something (other than conjecture) that quotes Bill O’Reilly, Rupert Murdoch, or any Tea Party leader uttering anti-gay rhetoric, and I’ll cease any defense of these institutions immediately.
Pitou
@Right is Right: Are you fucking kidding me? Simple google bitch, theres your proof. Twat.
William
@Right is Right: Are you trolling or are you serious?
“Tea Party Nation: Gay Rights Will Doom America”
Took me four seconds to find that.
Shall I fetch more for his Majesty?
Ben Legacy
Bill O’Reilly – http://www.oreilly-sucks.com/oreillygayinsult.htm
Anecodotal, but pretty clear.
They’re mistaken on the Tea party, which has proven to be completely socially agnostic, thus far. It just so happens that many of the same fiscal conservatives also happen to be social conservatives.
Fox news may or may not have a antigay agenda; the organization is an ultra-right corporate entity, it is certainly possible considering their past handling of the presentation of social issues.
Jim Hlavac
OK, there are anti-gay Tea Party people, and pro-gay, or gay-agnostic Tea Party people. There are gay friendly Republicans, and anti-gay Republicans. There are anti-gay Democrats, (oh, African-Americans, Latinos, many unions, Catholics, Ruben Diaz,) and there are pro-gay and gay-agnostic Democrats. That is, there is nothing in any parcel of a political party that is all pro- or anti- gay. It comes down to the person. And some in every party, in every political movement, from Socialists to Libertarians, from mainstream to fringe, from elected or apathetic, from politically aware to the rarely vote — every individual is a different deal when it comes to gay folks. No one side is “for” and the other “against.” No party is a paradigm of gay-lovin’ and none are a hellhole of anti-gay sentiment.
The nation, individual by individual, is, um, evolving, as is our president. So rather than try to label all of one side for us, and the other against us, pick on the individual who expresses the thoughts in question, and take any ally we can no matter what other opinions they hold.
RVH
@Right is Right: I always appreciate good satire.
cwm
Notice how an obvious troll has mostly succeeded in diverting the thread away from its subject: the known antigay closet case Michael Berry.
RomanHans
Here’s another good subject for this thread: how has he so far dodged ANY charges? I’m thinking drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident is a pretty good start.
Right is Right
@Ben Legacy: Thanks for the link. And just to be clear, I wasn’t defending Berry—not by any means. I concede that O’Reilly, with his uber-Catholic background, shies away from all things gay—but he’s not ANTI-gay, and that’s my point.
Listen, I watch Fox pretty regularly, duh, as well as CNN and local news, and with the exception of its opinion shows like Hannity, Fox anchors and reporters don’t make anti-gay remarks. Some of their guests might, but the corporation isn’t responsible for its guests’ remarks. Ever watch “Red Eye”? Of the three hosts, one is gay, and although the other two aren’t, they might as well be with the way they all behave and interact.
And you’re right about the Tea Party: they have no agenda with social issues. They’re simply an easy target for the left, just as the OWS thing is an easy target for the right. I made my statement because Evan Mulvihill used the Tea Party and an affiliation with a LOCAL Fox news channel as an example of the far-right fanatic hatred of gay people, which is blatantly false. With the exception of perhaps a few nut jobs mixed in, Tea Partiers are not anti-gay. Or anti-black, or anti-Paraguayan or ant-anything except anti-small government.
Danny
The victim of the car damage should contact the federal government to ensure the local government is not covering up a crime since the victim says he can identify the perpetrator of the crime against his property.
Oh, ok.
Another self-hating anti-gay secretly gay moron with the power to hurt himself along with the rest of us. I seriously don’t get it.
On the one hand he’s a victim of homophobia and hatred, on the other he’s a part of the problem.
Bleh.
Jason P
I’ve never heard Michael Berry make anti-gay slurs; he appears tolerant of opposing lifestyles, he is just a conservative. I will reserve judgment until all of the facts are out there and we can all say “oh, so that is what really happened”. Until then, I am tolerant of all lifestyles and if anyone, Michael Berry included, were to condemn someone merely based on their preferences of partner, then I would just disagree with them, but not revel if they are found guilty. Can’t we just all get along?
Sid
That sounds like a sure case of DWI, and in an SUV too, so it threatens other people’s safety extra. Former councilmen should be held to a stricter standard on drunk driving, not a looser one. He should be in jail now awaiting charges.
Oh, and he’s also a homophobic self-hating closet case? Icing on the cake.
Eric in Chicago
Gay people who fight against gay rights should be taken out and shot in the head in the street. Seriously – We have enough work to do fighting and ignorant hateful straight society.
MickW
Another white man on the down low, what else is new?
Nick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGBeElRlGUU&feature=related
Nick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyG1zJ_DjVg&feature=related
Blahqula
@Right is Right: Unintentional punchline goldmine for the booby prize, er, win. LMAO, you guys are on the cutting edge of acceptance of the moment, realization of the now, and should simply polish up your halos and change nothing. On behalf of everyone less than fascist and somehow lacking in human livestock credentials, I bow to you. Carry on, quivering lipped one.
CBRad
@Right is Right: Signorile and Wayne Besen have regularly appeared on O’Reilly too. And Queerty totally ignores O’Reilly defending Ellen DeGeneris against recent attacks. I don’t agree with everything O’Reilly espouses, but he’s not some huge homophobe. BUT, and I can’t remind you readers of this enough, it doesn’t matter what O’Reilly says or does. Mulvihill is part of the Gay Ghetto (the outsider who moved to NYC) and they just react to whatever category you’re in. O’Reilly falls into three of the Gay Ghetto Enemy categories : Irish-American, Catholic, and New York native (actually Long Island, but that’s just an extension of NYC). If you guys all understood the Gay Ghetto better, most of the posts and positions from Queerty will make better sense to you.
Tommy
I would just like Michael Berry to know.
“If you were gay
that’d be okay
I mean ’cause hey
I’d like you anyway”
Right is Right
@CBRad: The O’Reilly-bashers obviously don’t watch O’Reilly, because if they did, they would know how idiotic they look when they call him homophobic. Not to mention weekly Factor guest Bernie Goldberg, who emphatically supported Degeneres and JC Penny’s decision to keep her as a rep. I wrote Goldberg to thank him for this, and he emailed me back thanking me for the kind words. Class act, that guy.
Not sure why gay people are so freaked out by Fox News, which has never done anything anti-gay. I guess it must just be the liberal mind-set.
MikeE
@Right is Right: ahhh, Cleopatra… queen of denial.
CBRad
@Right is Right: Mostly true, what you say. I like O’Reilly. (Can’t stand Hannity!)
Steve
Leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to an unoccupied vehicle, with no injuries, is a misdemeanor in Texas. The penalty is much less than the penalty for driving under the influence. From that point of view, it may have been smart of Berry to leave the scene.
TASTEY GOODIES
3 SYLLABLES- HIP-O-CRITE!!!! AND A SELF-LOATHING HOMOPHOBE!!
David Ehrenstein
@Jason P: No we can’t. And you know why.
Michael
Hey douchbag what is your name, you afraid to post it. get a life and a real job douchie douch scumbag.
JD
@Right is Right:
That’s because with a lot of the queers here and everywhere (and I’m gay so yes, I can too use the word queer) – can only think and see one side of the story. THEIRS. Like the mindless liberal mainstream media, they only believe what they want to believe in order to promote their agenda, and nothing but.
Thing is, as a GAY REPUBLICAN, I can tell you there are a LOT of conservative people out there who would be more than willing and ARE more than willing to help gay people and their cause — but they don’t because of being lumped into one group and attacked by the gay mainstream as all of them being evil and anti-gay and homophobic, etc.
Gosh, that’s sort of like saying that all gay men like to have sex with little boys, wear leather chaps and black leather hats, walk in pride parades wearing dog collars and leads and in the end all become Catholic priests — kind of hypocritical when you look at it that way, isn’t it?
So, Right is Right – you can try all you want, but you’re not going to find many friends here I’m afraid. Come hang out with us over at GOProud. We’ll gladly welcome you into the fold!
Mk_ultra_again
@JD: Sorry but the gay community isn’t looking for conservative handouts.You’re either for full equality or you’re a bigot, you are evil, and you’re a homophobe. There is no “well, I think you’re 97% of a person, but certain rights you don’t deserve”.
Like the mindless mainstream conservative media, conservative gays for some reason feel this need to announce to the world that they are neutered, undignified, and will lap up respect from whatevet toilet their “moral masters” leave it in.
Jon
Wow if you read this, and didn’t know better you would think Micheal ran for mayor in the last election… By the way he said he would have a problem with Parker if she pander to only gay issues instead of being the mayor for all people in Houston. He did say she was fair in that respect when they were both counsel members.