Will mayonnaise give you "Teh Gay"?

Apparently we have no sense of humor in this country anymore. Thank god for the British. But Bill O'Reilly's all in a lather (again) about teh gayness.

Update on "The Oh-Really Factor"

Although I don't really want to give Bill O'Reilly's recent sensationalized story about a national underground network of lesbians — who carry pink pistols and indoctrinate young girls into their lifestyle — any more airtime, I do want to let you all know about the Southern Poverty Law Center's investigation on this issue.

The SPLC issued a statement entitled "The Oh-Really Factor" in which they talk to some real detectives and law enforcement officials. All agreed that there is no "underground network" or epidemic, and that the facts referenced in O'Reilly's piece are suspicious at best, and completely false in many instances:

Sgt. Brett Parson, a member and former commander of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department's Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, also questioned Wheeler's numbers. "We have 150 to 175 total gangs in the D.C. area, and out of those only nine where the predominance of members are female," he said. "You simply can't make the jump that they are lesbians. I think it is fair to talk about violence and female gangs. But to sensationalize or marginalize a community by making a statement like that seems irresponsible."

And what you should know about "Fox Crime News Analyst" Rod Wheeler:

According to Wheeler's personal website, he is a member of Jericho City of Praise, a conservative Christian megachurch in Landover, Md., whose leadership publicly advocates against equal rights for gays and lesbians.

On another incident mentioned by the outraged O'Reilly:

Similarly, O'Reilly's introductory mention of a Tennessee lesbian gang called Gays Taking Over that is "involved in raping young girls" appears to have been based solely on a highly dubious Feb. 28 television report from WPTY-TV, an ABC affiliate in Memphis, Tenn. Featuring dramatic "reenactments" of high school bathroom rape scenes shot in grainy black-and-white footage, the lengthy segment's vaguely salacious claims about local high school girls being raped and "sodomized" with "sex toys bought on the Internet" was based almost entirely on the lurid musings of a single Shelby County gang officer.

I hope this will be the last we hear of this story. It's ridiculous, but it's important to address. O'Reilly makes his living by taking news "stories" — factual or not — and sensationalizing them. This particular story had the worst of hate and discrimination toward gays and lesbians.

According to Rashad Robinson, the senior director of media programs for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD):

"This type of reporting creates a climate of homophobia and fear and perpetuates dangerous stereotypes of gay people and definitely helps feed into a climate of anti-gay discrimination and violence, which is a true national epidemic, but not one you're likely to see reported with such zeal by Bill O'Reilly."

Hell's Grannies: More video evidence of vicious gangs roaming the streets!

Will we see this on O'Reilly's show next?

What goes around ...

comes around, I guess. From today's Washington Post:

WJFK (106.7 FM) yesterday dropped Bill O'Reilly's nationally syndicated show, "The Radio Factor," and replaced it with a sports-talk program hosted by Jim Rome. O'Reilly, an avowed independent who takes many conservative views, occupied a two-hour afternoon slot on WJFK.

While this is not directly related to yesterday's story about O'Reilly's sensationalized and lie-ridden story about lesbian gangs taking over America (and recruiting our youth! Gasp!), it does bring me some satisfaction to know that the ratings are just not there for this hateful man. According to the Post:

The popular Fox News Channel TV host never attracted much of a radio following in Washington — in the most recent ratings period, his program had about 1.2 percent of the audience.

And that is all I will write about Bill O'Reilly.

[UPDATED] The Pink-Pistoled Lesbian Gang Menace!

Look out girls! They're on to us!

Bill O'Reilly takes on the breaking news. No, not the public outrage over the President's actions commuting Scooter Libby's sentence. Instead, he chose to spend his airtime covering a ridiculously made-up story about underground "lesbian gangs"who carry pink pistols.

Complete with a phony "Fox News Crime Analyst" Rod Wheeler, O'Reilly reports on a "national underground network" "recruiting" children as young as 10 years old "to be a member of their organization."

AfterEllen takes a good look at the story:

O'REILLY: In Tennessee, authorities say a lesbian gang called GTO, Gays Taking Over, are involved in raping young girls. And in Philadelphia, a lesbian gang called DTO, Dykes Taking Over, are allegedly terrorizing people, as well.

AfterEllen: Yes, and here in my New York apartment, we have regular meetings of LSOC (Lesbians Sitting on the Couch), where we brandish hard plastic remotes menacingly at our television set while cruelly biting down on popcorn kernels. Quick, catch us before we strike again!

As O'Reilly speaks, footage runs in the background of girls fighting. We have no idea who these girls are, where or when this is taking place, or if this footage has any relevance at all to this "story." Unfit to Print looked into the background of crack "Crime Analyst" Rod Wheeler by checking his website rod007.com (I kid you not!), and found a rather vague and less than impressive career history.

Could it be instead that the "fact checkers" at Fox News (they do use fact checkers, right?) were confused with a real group called Pink Pistols? That group advocates responsible gun ownership by gays with the motto "Armed gays don't get bashed." They don't actually carry pink pistols.

This story is simply riddled with lies and misinformation. We can just laugh at the ridiculousness of it, but if you think Bill O'Reilly and the rest of his hate-mongering buddies is harmless, remember how many people watch this stuff and think he's reporting fact.

Watch it yourself (and lock up your daughters!):



UPDATE: The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has called on O'Reilly and Fox News Channel to apologize for its sensationalized report on a "Lesbian Gang Epidemic." To quote Rashad Robinson, GLAAD's Senior Director of Media Programs, "This type of inaccurate tabloid journalism perpetuates dangerous stereotypes about lesbians and feeds a climate of homophobia, anti-gay discrimination and violence. That's the real national epidemic, but not one you're likely to see reported with such zeal by Bill O'Reilly."

Included in the GLAAD link is contact information to let Fox News know your feelings on their mis-information.