Is this KETK-NBC news report out of Tyler, Texas as bad as the BBC asking whether gays should be executed? Well, only if you have a problem with the chyron operator dubbing Obamaās appointment of so many gays to be āthe fall of America,ā question mark.
[flv:http://www.ketknbc.com/files/ketk/media/news/KTBBWED.1288182085.mp4 https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs-null/2010/10/obamaketkfall.jpg 650 400]
In fact, is was more than the text on the lower-third: It was the title of KTBB radio host Garth Maierās segment on whether all these homosexuals serving in the federal government āwill be the fall of this countryā?
This segment ā while it did include folks denouncing the idea that LGBT discrimination is a good thing ā and those like it are not about representing all sides of an issue. They are about spreading hate rhetoric. Despite Maier saying voters ācanāt avoid the issueā (the āissueā also being the not-shocking news that young people are having sex with members of the same sex), pundits can avoid turning issues of discrimination into opportunities to endorse it.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
KETKās tagline insists viewers will find ānews you wonāt see anywhere else.ā With good reason.
Says the KETK anchor in wrapping up the segment: āSome great comments this morning, a good topic as always.ā Not, not at all. [KETK]
One of the CA 36,000
Remind me again why the coastal states haven’t nuked DumbFuckCrackerstan, aka the Deep South and Flyover States, into molten glass, then sown the barren soil with salt to prevent sentient beings from living in places that produce hate-filled assholes like the scum working at KETK-TV in Tyler, Texas?!?
Like I’ve said elsewhere: DumbFuckCrackerstan is the way it is because the smart people left as soon as they were humanly able.
Tim S.
People frighten me. It always seems that this kind of thing comes from Texas. I know for sure that not everyone in Texas is this crazy. Is there a colony of backwards-living Texans somewhere deep in Texas?
reason
So the president is being attacked hard from both sides, gays and crazies.
reason
@Tim S.: No not really, this sort of thing starts at Fox with people like Rush.
Joe in Decatur, GA
One of the CA,
Thanks for being so enlightened! I’m so glad nothing bad ever happens in the coastal states. I’m so glad we have gay marriage in CA and NY. I’m so glad gay-bashing never happens in your states. I’m so glad that people don’t make homophobic comments, oh wait! Your states are just likes ours, aren’t they? It’s the whole damn country, One.
Shouldn't certain gay sites & their commenters stop bullying gays too? ( John from England)
@reason:
Yep. Aren’t gay people nice?
tjr101
The shocking thing about this is some of the call in commenters actually sounded smarter than the radio host.
I say, when Obama leaves office and a right-wing Republican replaces him, the gay community will look back on these days with nostalgia.
kernelt
certainly the hater doesn’t speak for the lover… All the reason for the Fall of America, Ignorant and hate would be the dangerous and most likely thing to cause America’s fallen…
SDDinDallas
As someone living in Texas (and born and raised in MA), it amuses me to see such negative comments about this state. Yes, Texas is often in the news for stories involving gays. But you have to remember that Texas is a state of transition. Though I agree and accept that it’s long been a red conservative state, times are changing. Every state in the union has gone or will undergo a transition into something much more accepting in the future. So before you bash Texas, keep in mind that there are plenty of us here that are doing our part to change the minds of the people creating news stories like this. With that I leave you with some interesting thoughts/facts about Texas:
-City Councilman, Joel Burns. Enough said. Remember him from last week?
-Dallas has one of the top ten largest gay communities in the nation
-Lady Gaga loves the Round Up (Gay country bar in Dallas) and credits it with one of the places she got her first start.
-Houston is the first major city in the country to have a gay mayor
-Her predecessor is running for governor of Texas and marched in the gay pride parade in Dallas last month.
-He marched in Houston’s for a few years before that.
-Dallas has an elected openly lesbian Sherriff
-A transgendered teen was nominated by her peers for homecoming queen in Dallas (though school administration disallowed it)
So, though it’s often the bad things that make the headlines, there are people here who are very accepting of our gay community and love us wholeheartedly and are helping us do good work to make this state even better!
jason
Just because there are gays in government, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be pro-gay. Gays are notoriously fickle and traitorous if they need to be. They will support even the most homophobic government if there’s a pay check at the end of it.
Hitler had gays serving in his Nazi movement and look what they did. They rounded up all the gays in the general community and sent them to Auschwitz.
Message to gays in government who fail stick up for gays in the community: fuck off.
MickW
If they only knew how much the gay community hates President Obama.
David
Stop looping that goddamned B-roll. Gaaaaa!
Dallas David
@SDDinDallas: I’m in Texas, originally from Massachusetts also. Been here since 1975.
While the big cities are pretty ok (with the occasional pockets of ghastly bigotry), the countryside – like Tyler (East Texas) is as bad as I’ve ever seen. Congressman Gomer is from out that way, and they’re nuts out there. I feel bad for the poor gay kids that have to deal with all that homophobia.
I knew a guy from Tyler . . . he was the youngest of 4 boys, and the scrawniest of the litter, and a little bit “nelly.” Well, his 3 older brothers regularly f—ed him, as did his father. And they berated him for being gay . . . sheesh . . .
What can ya do . . .
SDDinDallas
@Dallas David – I have seen what some of the small towns are like here. I completely agree that they need help; but so do most small towns across the country. Small town mentality isn’t just isolated to Texas. My point is that there are people trying to do good things even in what seems to be the most backwards parts of the country. Though you are correct in saying that it’s the large cities that are the more liberal and accepting areas of these states, we can only hope that our voices are loud enough to trickle down into the smaller more troubled areas.
As far as Texas is concerned, lets just hope that there’s enough people that get out and vote to help close and overtake the small gap that exists in the polls, and we can finally get Rick Perry out of office.
chi-townTXnative
Being from TX and now living in chicago, I completely agree with SDDinDallas… Texas is the 2nd largest state and therefore, is actually quite diverse. The neighborhoods here in chicago are very segregated, I know a lot of people here who didn’t know anyone black or gay growing up. Having grown up in a large city in TX I experienced diversity, which I think, is the key to weeding out these in-bred idiots. They represnt the minority, but they are so loud-mouthed and ignorant that’s the only thing people hear on the national news
Kurt Kitchings
I find this whole thing interesting. Mostly the fact that people who object to this kind of “hate” and how they respond to it.
Commenter #1 – Do I even have to point out how “smart” your comments are? That’s the best you can do to make a logical argument?
#2 Crazy backwards living Texans? Why? Because they asked a question or because they believe differently from you? Seems like that’s what YOU’RE fighting for.
#3 So there are two sides, “gays and crazies”? And WHO is being intolerant and hateful?
#4 I’m pretty certain Rush doesn’t work for Fox…
#13 Really? You turned them in to authorities right? You left that part out, it was unclear. Or was the whole thing a made up story…I bet.
#15 You’re going to “weed out these in-bred idiots”? How exactly? Through your “accepting of everyone’s opinions” ideals? Funny you mention the conservative people being just a loud minority. What should we do with a part of our nation that only represents a small but very LOUD and demanding percentage of our society?
Just curious, trying to understand. I’m conservative and live near Tyler, Texas but feel certain I’m neither simple-minded nor stupid. I believe how I choose to believe, same as you. If my rights and your rights cannot coexist in the same space, then sure, we have a problem and we’ll have to figure out how to deal with that then. But, I’m not certain that they do. But my question is, why do people who believe in additional rights for gays have to push their agenda of “acceptance” all the while crushing my choice of not agreeing with them? Seems to me that if you want the right to choose to believe what you want to believe, that would have to include me being allowed to believe whatever I want to believe. Sorry if it seems like double talk, but as a conservative, I don’t know why I should feel guilty for not having the same opinions as you.
I don’t, nor have I ever oppressed another’s opinions or beliefs, why is is done to me?
Notice – I’m not afraid to attach my name to my beliefs unlike most of the commentors here.
carolyn
#16
So all opinions are equal? They can have their opinions and you can have yours and all are equal? So if I believe that you shouldn’t have the right to marry or see your wife in the hospital that’s fine because my opinion is equal to yours? How about if I believe that you shouldn’t have the right to serve in the military because you’re conservative? It’s my opinion so it should be respected, right? š
MT
I’m from Tyler, and yes, it sucks to be gay in East Texas. I escaped to Austin as soon as possible, but things are honestly getting better. Only the total rednecks were homophobic assholes in high school. Pretty much everyone of my generation (I’m 20) doesn’t give a shit. And at the rate the Bible-belt pumps out gays, that’s a good thing.