Dobson's group gave $800,000 for California's anti-equal marriage rights Proposition 8, and a Focus on the Family spin-off spearheaded that effort. Dobson was in town to receive an award from the Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC), which has been roundly condemned for honoring a man who aims to take away rights from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.


While the demonstration was in solidarity with the massive post-election day protests that have rocked California, controversy over the honor for Dobson had been brewing for months. Full page signature ads ran in all three of the city's gay newspapers and there was an avalanche of blogging and other media accounts of the story (see http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/84352/index.php for a list of story links).

While early on in the controversy a columnist for one of the LGBT newspapers suggested ignoring Dobson, most others in the community pointed out that Dobson's hate speech – especially when broadcast over 7000 media outlets – leads to heightened anti-gay violence and the loss of rights, as dramatically proven by the passage of Proposition 8.


Gay activists have long been angry that open bigotry against LGBT people is one of the last remaining "acceptable" versions of hate. One of the aims of last night's protest was to send a message to the MBC and any other institution that might contemplate supporting anti-gay haters that our community will no longer be a doormat. Support for hate will carry with it a very high political price.

Reports from inside the banquet hall indicate that about 125 of the 450 attendees were from Focus on the Family. Ticket prices started at $500 and went up to $2000.


While that represents a huge chunk of change, it comes no where near what the MBC needs. For several years the Museum has been in serious financial difficulty, without any venue for its exhibits since leaving Chicago's Cultural Center, and with construction halted on its new multi-million dollar building just a few blocks north of last night's protest. A few years ago politicians in Springfield indicated that they might be willing to give the Museum several million dollars, but gay electoral activists say that the award to Dobson has put that off the table.

In addition to the boisterous protest outside, during the reception before the banquet, three gay rights protesters slipped into the banquet hall and began chanting against Dobson before they were hauled away by security. One of them, Roger Fraser, was charged with Criminal Trespass, a misdemeanor, and was held at the 18th and State Street police station until about 1:30 AM, before being released on an I-bond.

After nearly two hours outside in the rain and cold, protesters wrapped up the event by emphasizing that history shows that the protest against Dobson is especially important when the country is facing its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In this context, the calls for discrimination and hate coming from people like Dobson can fall upon fertile ground as millions worry about losing their homes and life savings.


To avoid falling prey to divide and conquer stratagems, demonstration organizers with the Gay Liberation Network (www.GayLiberation.net) noted that it was vitally important for LGBT people to come out and demonstrate not just for gay rights, but also to participate in protests when other groups' rights – racial minorities, women, etc. — are under attack.

In that context, thanks were given to the many non-gay people who showed up to give solidarity to us on a cold fall night.


Here are corporate media accounts of the protest —

MSNBC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#27631649

Denver CBS Affiliate:
http://cbs4denver.com/local/james.dobson.focus.2.860219.html

Chicago NBC Affiliate:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Gay_Activists_Protest_Dobsons_Induction_to_Hall_of_Fame.html

Chicago Fox Affiliate:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=7822738&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Chicago ABC Affiliate:
Group protests Radio Hall of Fame induction

CHICAGO (WLS) — There was a protest Saturday night outside a Chicago hotel by a group opposed to James Dobson's induction into the Radio Hall of Fame.

Dobson hosts the program "Focus on the Family" and opposes same-sex marriages. Dobson also supported passage of Proposition 8 in California, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The protestors say he uses the airwaves to spread a message of hate and should not be honored.

"If you advocate the taking away of rights for a whole group of people, you may be a Christian, you may be any number of other things, but one thing you certainly are is you are a hater, and you are a bigot. James Dobson is a bigot," said Andy Thayer, Gay Liberation Network.

Dobson received his Hall of Fame award Saturday night at the Renaissance Hotel. The Radio Hall of Fame is a project of the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Chairman Bruce Dumont wrote in the Sun-Times that a nominee's political or religious views aren't taken into consideration by the hall of fame.