December 19, 2013
Sarah Palin Defends 'Duck Dynasty' Star's Anti-Gay Remarks
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Phil Robertson, one of the stars of A&E's hit reality series "Duck Dynasty," made waves of Chick-fil-A proportions on Wednesday when he spewed anti-gay comments in an interview with GQ magazine, resulting in A&E officials from booting him for the show. Now Sarah Palin, one of the biggest faces of the conservative right, is expressing her outrage over the backlash against Robertson.
"It seems like, to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man's anus," the reality star told GQ. "That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."
"Everything is blurred on what's right and what's wrong. Sin becomes fine," he went on to say. "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."
Soon after Robertson's remarks hit the Internet, GLAAD issued a statement, calling his remarks vile and misinformed, which lead A&E officials to suspend him from "Duck Dynasty."
"Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe," GLAAD spokesperson Will Cruz said in a statement to the Huffington Post. "He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans -- and Americans -- who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."
But the backlash and Robertson's suspension from A&E isn't sitting well with Palin as she rushed to Facebook on Wednesday to defend Robertson.
"Free speech is an endangered species," Palin, who stared in her own short-lived reality show not too long ago wrote on her Facebook on Dec. 18. "Those 'intolerants' hatin' and taking on the 'Duck Dynasty' patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us."
Palin included a picture of her hanging out with the "Duck Dynasty" cast and as the Huffington Post reports, she's a pretty big fan of the strange reality series, lauding the family for promoting conservative values. According to Yahoo, not only is Robertson anti-gay, but he's against abortion rights as well.
CNN reports that Palin loves the show so much, she suggested that GOPs in Washington take notice of their values.
"To our GOP leaders in Washington, especially - this is what Americans desire and deserve; we're not rooting for your social truces," she wrote on Facebook. "Kudos to these Duck dudes for speaking their minds, and for their boldness in living the American dream of LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - reminding us all that it's only with freedom that anything is possible."
After being hit with backlash, A&E released an apology in a statement by Robertson:
"I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior," Robertson says in the press release. "My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other."