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| Shannon Bream |
A while back, I made a prediction that Fox News would become a large danger to the lgbt community because it would funnel propaganda and one-sided interviews against our community.
As an
Equality Matters report proves, it's already happened thanks to Fox News "journalist" Shannon Bream:
Fox News reporter Shannon Bream has become a reliable proponent of
right-wing efforts to discriminate against LGBT people, using her
national platform to validate religious extremists who claim that any
LGBT protections infringe on religious liberty and freedom of speech.
. . . Bream is also a devout Christian who claims to have been inspired by the work of the notoriously homophobic conservative activist Jerry Falwell. Bream attended Falwell’s right-wing Liberty University for her undergraduate degree, and in May of 2013, she became the first woman to deliver the keynote address at her alma mater’s commencement ceremony. During her speech, Bream urged the graduating class to live a life
guided by the kind of Christian principles espoused by Falwell,
challenging them not to “stand silently” as their “most deeply held
beliefs are being questioned in the public square."
In that same speech, Bream talked about "religious oppression" and "religious liberty" - two code phrases popular with the anti-gay religious right.
Equality Matters also calls raises attention to Bream's behavior when supposedly covering news stories in an objective manner:
Fighting San Antonio’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance
San Antonio’s city council became the target of right-wing, anti-LGBT outrage over
the summer as it considered an ordinance that would expand the city’s
non-discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender
identity. On Fox News, Bream led the effort to depict the measure as an assault on religious free speech. During the July 31 edition of America Live, Bream incorrectly warned that the ordinance posed a “First Amendment rights issue,” potentially blocking the hiring of “anyone who speaks out against homosexuality because of their moral or religious beliefs.”
Bream invited right-wing San Antonio pastor Steven Branson for a
one-sided interview in which they both criticized a provision of the
measure which had been removed for more than a month
at the time of the interview. Bream failed to correct Branson when he
falsely suggested the ordinance lacked exemptions for religious
organizations . . .
Hate Groups And Horror Stories
Bream’s fact-free campaign against San Antonio’s non-discrimination
ordinance is a textbook example of how she approaches broadly attacking
LGBT equality on Fox, including relying on hate group spokespersons to
depict blatant acts of discrimination as a form of religious speech.
Some examples include:
The New Mexico Photographer. On August 23, Bream
hosted a segment defending a New Mexico photographer who was sued under
the state’s non-discrimination law after refusing to photograph a
same-sex couple’s commitment ceremony. Bream questioned whether gay
people actually have a right to be free from unjust discrimination and
invited the photographer’s attorney – from the notoriously anti-gay
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – to assert that the photographer was
being forced to violate her religious beliefs by promoting a message
approving homosexuality.
Macy’s Transgender Customer. In December 2011, Bream hosted a segment about a former Macy’s employee who was fired after violating the company’s policy of
allowing transgender customers to use their preferred changing room.
Bream invited the employee and her attorney, anti-LGBT Liberty Counsel
founder Mat Staver, to mock the policy and joke about the customer’s
appearance. Bream described the incident as “a case pitting religious
freedom against a store’s anti-discrimination policy.” Bream’s behavior
during the segment drew criticism from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Bream seems to be the second Fox News personality who is allowing their personal religious beliefs to shape how they report the news. Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio has been consistently called out for not only his
brazenly inaccurate reporting but also for his
vicious comments about the lgbt community.
Bream, however, seems to be more of a danger to the lgbt community than Starnes. While Starnes' comments and actions undermines his credibility, Bream tiptoes on that thin line between objectivity and bias, make sure to cheat when she thinks no one is looking.
