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GayIndy.Org Commentary

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"They know which way the wind blows" says conservative talk-show host Michael Savage, referring to MSNBC's controversial decision to carry his show, and the conservative shift that mainstream America seems to be making.

The same shift that has many of us wringing our hands and wondering how far our push for basic rights will be set back.

But wait a minute, let's take a look at some of the things that are in today's news:

Locally, a DePauw instructor sued the university claiming she was busted down and forced to take a pay cut because of anti-gay material she made available in her classroom, and thus her constitutional right to free speech was violated. The judge said "no dice."

In national news, Proctor and Gamble and Kraft foods have immediately apologized for ads that ran by mistake on the above-mentioned Michael Savage's MSNBC debut. Both companies have given their ad placement services explicit instructions to not air their ads on Savage's show.

Tell me, what companies can be considered more "mainstream America" than Proctor and Gamble and Kraft? The message here is mainstream America does not support hate-filled gasbags like Michael Savage.

Speaking of Savage, I came across an interesting article about a rather unsavory association of his. MSNBC has proudly touted that Savage's show airs nationally on the Talk Radio Network, but it seems the savvy network newshounds at MSNBC failed to do some basic research. The Talk Radio Network is owned and operated by the Foundation of Human Understanding, a wacko right-wing cult lead by a guy named Roy Masters.

Masters has spent decades spewing paranoia and hate, claiming that America is headed for Apocalypse and the only safe place for us to be is with him in Grants Pass, Oregon. Here's a rather chilling quote: "I could get people to die for me any day. I've got more power over people than Adolph Hitler and Jim Jones combined, because I'm smarter. I know how to push people's buttons."

Other news items today include a Wisconsin college chancellor condemning an anti-gay letter published in the school's newspaper, and a lesbian couple in New Jersey both being allowed to be listed on their child's birth certificate.

And don't forget, just a couple of weeks ago in a rather amazing victory in Jeb Bush's state of Florida, a judge awarded custody to a transgender man in a divorce dispute.

Does all this mean we're winning? In my opinion, the answer is yes, and in the long run we will be victorious. I firmly believe that in any battle for rights, the owner of the moral high ground will ultimately prevail, and we own the moral high ground in this struggle.

But we certainly have a long way to go. Not to mention, for every one of the victories I've touted in this commentary there are plenty of defeats, and certainly more to come. This conservative "shift," even if it is possibly exaggerated, is not to be taken lightly.

What should we do with hate-mongers like Savage? I say let him spew, then expose him for what he is. The real "mainstream America" will soon see Savage's true colors, and when they see the associations with outrageous groups like the Foundation of Human Understanding, the inevitable conclusion will be drawn, whether consciously or sub-consciously: bigotry and homophobia are the product of extremism and fanaticism, not rational thought.

So, Michael Savage, about that wind blowing: right back at ya buddy.