I hadn't been on Fox News in a while -- I think it was O'Reilly over a year ago -- but I went on O'Reilly Factor tonight, with Laura Ingraham substituting. (The topic was a National Organization for Marriage ad which features children saying they're "confused" about men marrying men, or some such nonsense, and Ingraham actually didn't go in attack mode, which was interesting in and of itself, and I will comment more at that later. I will post the clip as soon as I get it.)
I'm struck by how much response I get from Fox viewers via email after I've been on, much more than on the other networks. Most of it this time, as all of it before (excluding gay or pro-gay people who just happened to be flipping dials or who knew I'd be on), was crazy wingnut stuff in which the writers engage in slurs, make threats or quote Leviticus. But in this batch there were actually some rather positive ones and I've never seen that. This one below is representative of several. And I think that it shows that, even to Fox viewers, we're perhaps making some progress.
Subject: I am a straight mail who wanted to thank you
I saw you on with Laura Ingram and felt for the first time that I had heard a rational voice as a proponent of gay marriage (gay rights). I sit on the fence on this issue because while I believe that someone should not be discriminated against for any reason, I feel that no one says that you can not get married. In other words, nothing stops a gay man from getting married to a woman (I know this sounds stupid but bare with me here), but creating a NEW definition for marriage is what is actually being requested, or in a sense a subset of marriage. But despite this technicality, I do believe that I lean towards allowing gay men (people) to marry.
The point to this letter is that gay men and women need to come off as more acceptable, or as more agreeable...Defending Miss California's right to her opinion instead of having angry gay males trashing her all over TV would have been a good start.
I'm not sure what I expected to say to you other than you are an excellent spokesman for the gay community. I think you need to express to others that the debate needs to be civil. Even if you think those rubes who are homophobic are driving the debate on the other side, the truth is that most of the people who oppose gay marriage at this point are reasonable people that have a need to experience mature rational homosexual people...
I am sure I've said nothing here worth a response...but I again just wanted you to know that when presented as respectfully as you did tonight with Laura, the gay movement will make progress.
Thank you for your time.
I think this shows, as much as I'm sometimes ambivalent about going on Fox, it is in fact important for us to engage on their air.
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