TO OUR LOYAL ROB, ARNIE AND DAWN FOLLOWERS,
WE HAVE FAILED YOU. AS A SHOW, AS PEOPLE, AS BROADCASTERS, WE HAVE SIMPLY FAILED ON ALMOST EVERY LEVEL.
WE PRESENTED OUR OPINIONS ON A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT IN A HATEFUL, CHILDISH AND CRUDE FASHION; AND THEN, GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETRACT THOSE REMARKS, WE DEFENDED THEM.
SINCE THEN, YOU, OUR LOYAL LISTENERS, HAVE MADE IT CLEAR TO US THAT WE WENT TOO FAR. THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING. NONE OF YOU SAID THAT WE COULDN’T HAVE OPINIONS, YET SO MANY OF YOU SAID THAT THE WAY WE GAVE THEM CROSSED THE LINE. FURTHER, YOU SAID THAT OUR ATTEMPT TO MASK OUR COMMENTS AS “JOKES THAT WOULD BE UNDERSTOOD BY OUR AUDIENCE,” WAS UNACCEPTABLE. I WOULD SAY NOW THAT IT WAS WORSE THAN THAT, IT WAS COWARDLY. YOU HAVE MADE THAT CLEAR.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO VARIOUS GROUPS AND ASKED FOR A CHANCE TO MAKE THIS RIGHT; TO RESPOND, WITH THEIR PARTICIPATION, TO THE EDUCATION THAT OUR AUDIENCE HAS PROVIDED US. THAT OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN GRACIOUSLY GRANTED THIS THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 11TH. AT 7:30 A.M.
THE WORD APOLOGY APPEARS NO WHERE IN THIS LETTER FOR A REASON. WE ALREADY HID FROM DOING THE RIGHT THING ONCE AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN. APOLOGIZING IN A WRITTEN, POSTED STATEMENT IS A FORM OF COWARDICE. WE WILL SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID THIS THURSDAY.
ON A FINAL, PERSONAL NOTE, AS THE LEADER AND OWNER OF THE SHOW, I HAVE MADE THE DECISION THAT WE NEED TO REFRAIN FROM BROADCASTING NEW EPISODES UNTIL WE CAN ADDRESS THIS ON THURSDAY . WE WILL RETURN TO THE AIR AT 7:30 A.M. JUNE 11TH.
ROB WILLIAMS
Monday, June 8, 2009
Radio station apologizes for hateful remarks
Thanks to all who wrote about the abuse of Transgender children -- here is the reply:
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4 comments:
As a former long time radio DJ I can tell you I'm impressed. This is a clear acceptance that they screwed up and want to make it right.
Let's hope that they do their penance right.
OT. Today the California Court of Appeal issued a long unpublished decision concerning another parish in the Los Angeles area (St. Luke's, La Cresenta) where the rector and some parishioners tried to leave TEC and take the property with them. The Court said that could not do so. You can read the decision at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub/D051669.PDF .
This case was particuarly sad, I think, because the rector had been trying to get the parish to secede for years and, fairly soon after he finally succeeded, he left to accept a teaching position at an evangelical college in England, leaving the parish pretty much on its own.
Thanks, Primrose. Would you be interested in blogging at friends as our resident legal beagle? That way you can put these as posts rather than as comments, and they'll be seen better.
Speaking of transgender victimization: as many of you may have heard, Sonny & Cher's only child, Chastity, has announced he will transition from female to male. This is probably the highest profile TG coming out ever.
Even here at the lesbian site AfterEllen, you can see that Chaz has come in for some abuse (though most are supportive). Elsewhere in the media---and sadly, in the gay media---the verbal abuve has been extensive.
If you're the praying sort, say a prayer for Chaz and other TG people beginning this journey (most w/ far LESS resources for it!). Regardless, work for more understanding?
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