"A GLAAD Action Alert: June 2, 2009 — In a lengthy May 28 tirade on the Rob, Arnie & Dawn in the Morning radio show heard in Sacramento, California on KRXQ 98.5 FM and Reno, Nevada on KDOT 104.5 FM, hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States verbally attacked transgender children. While discussing a recent story about a transgender child in Omaha, Nebraska and her parents’ decision to support her transition, the two hosts spent more than 30 minutes explicitly promoting child abuse of and making cruel, dehumanizing and defamatory comments toward transgender children."
Here are some of transcribed excerpts and you can listen to the full segment here: http://tinyurl.com/l33lv5
ROB WILLIAMS [11:12]: This is a weird person who is demanding attention. And when it’s a child, all it takes is a hug, maybe some tough love or anything in between. When your little boy said, ‘Mommy, I want to walk around in a dress.’ You tell them no cause that’s not what boys do. But that’s not what we’re doing in this culture.
ARNIE STATES [13:27]: If my son, God forbid, if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes. I would throw a shoe at him. Because you know what? Boys don’t wear high heels. And in my house, they definitely don’t wear high heels.
ROB WILLIAMS [17:45]: Dawn, they are freaks. They are abnormal. Not because they’re girls trapped in boys bodies but because they have a mental disorder that needs to be somehow gotten out of them. That’s where therapy could help them.
ROB WILLIAMS [18:15]: Or because they were molested. You know a lot of times these transgenders were molested. And you need to work with them on that. The point is you don’t allow the behaviour. You cure the cause!
ARNIE STATES [21:30]: You got a boy saying, ‘I wanna wear dresses.’ I’m going to look at him and go, ‘You know what? You’re a little idiot! You little dumbass! Look, you are a boy! Boys don’t wear dresses.’
ARNIE STATES [29:22]: You know, my favourite part about hearing these stories about the kids in high school, who the entire high school caters around, lets the boy wear the dress. I look forward to when they go out into society and society beats them down. And they end up in therapy.
I have written an email to:
John Geary
Vice President & General Manager
KRXQ-FM
(916) 339-4209
jgeary@entercom.com
Arnie States
On Air Personality
KRXQ-FM
(916) 334-7777
rad@robarnieanddawn.com
Rob Williams
On Air Personality
KRXQ-FM
(916) 334-7777
rwilliams@entercom.com
This is what I wrote:
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my deep disgust in a recent segment on your morning show. What was said by your co-hosts Rob and Arnie is absolutely hateful and despicable and I urge you take action in reviewing these comments and taking appropriate action.
Both Rob and Arnie's comments illustrated a sickeningly high level of ignorance on the topic of transgendered people. Although this, in and of itself is unfortunate--and your radio station should seek to use your access to airwaves for information and entertainment not horrifyingly under informed and prejudiced banter--what is most disturbing, were the comments that encouraged and prescribed physical and mental abuse upon children. It is upsetting that I must write something so obvious, but it is never OK to hit a child with a shoe, throw a shoe at a child, or degrade a child with abusive language (i.e. "You’re a little idiot! You little dumbass!"). No child should ever be treated like that for ANY REASON.
For Rob and Arnie to discuss transgendered people in such an offensive and ignorant way is inappropriate. To target transgendered children is absolutely abhorrent. Transgendered people are not "freaks" there is not something wrong with them that could be "fixed" by physical or emotional abuse. We live in a society in which transgendered people's rights are routinely abused and transgendered people are victims of heinous crimes because of who they are. A society in which young boys are taking their own lives to escape the bullying that they are experiencing due to their gender or sexual identity. It is immensely irresponsible for your radio personalities to contribute so negatively, so hatefully, and so ignorantly to this dialogue. It is not funny or entertaining. It is hateful, irresponsible, and incredibly dangerous.
I urge you to immediately review these comments, issue apologies, and investigate appropriate disciplinary action for such a horrifically ignorant and hateful segment.
I look forward to your immediate action on this important issue,
April Lambert
I urge you all to also contact VP & GM John Geary as well as radio "personalities" Rob and Arnie.
