Bigot of the Week
I need to thank my good friend Jay, a social rights advocate and LGBT ally, for inspiring me to write this article. This week’s bigot is a complicated celebrity doctor. Drew Pinsky, known to millions as Dr. Drew for his many regular media appearances and his shows about battling addiction, is a bit of a conundrum. He spoke out strongly against Prop 8 and allowing people to vote on civil rights. However he also served as an apologist for Tracy Morgan’s homophobic rant, accepting the lame apology while minimizing (although not accepting) the hate speech. He’s also had crazed homophobe Adam Carolla as a guest on his show for no apparent reason.
While he offers good advice about addiction, he is not particularly sex-positive, railing against anal sex and helping build the myth that it is medically harmful. He has also stated that gay men are either tops or bottoms and can’t change.
This week he went off the rails with “ex-lesbian” guest Janet Boynes. A proponent of ex-gay “reparative” therapy based on religion, Boynes is closely associated with the clinic of Marcus Bachmann. She also works with the Anoka-Hennepin school district which has had numerous LGBT suicides resulting from bullying. It’s curious why he had her on the show at all, given that she preaches change in a way that goes against all medical advice. Even worse, he was scheduled to include Jallen Rix, a survivor of ex-gay therapy and sexologist as a balance guest on the show. Instead, Rix was demoted to faceless call-in; Pinsky cut him off and gave Boynes the opportunity to play the religious oppression card as the last word.
REALLY? This is the kind of person that a doctor wants on his show? This is exactly like mainstream media giving hate group mouthpiece Tony Perkins airtime to spew his bile in the name of “balance.” What’s particularly confusing is that Dr. Drew himself made a case AGAINST ex-gay therapy in an interview with Anderson Cooper a year ago. While he was far too apologetic about the “legitimate treatments” that are used for false ends, he sounded opposed to this harmful practice. So now a practitioner of this damaging myth is worthy of airtime? What’s up, Doc?
Dishonorable mention this week goes to the majority voters in Wisconsin who refused to recall their loathsome governor, Scott Walker. His success seems to have hinged on two things. First, of course, is money. Thanks to the Fecal Five and Citizens United, Walker had ten times the war chest that his opponent had. Second, however, was the sense of many voters that a recall isn’t justifiable. If that’s the case, why is it allowed by state law? Badly done, Wisconsin, the state that gave us Sen. McCarthy and Rep. Paul Ryan…
Social Justice For All 
I couldn’t agree more, and I am so sorry for Jallen. I know him and what a wonderful person he is.
I’m very sorry that Jallen was not treated fairly and that ex-gay therapy was privileged by Dr. Drew.
Dollar signs are the likely cause of Mr. Pinsky’s completely hypocritical leaning towards un-founded medical opinions of anal sex and the role of participants as Top’s or Bottoms. Also for having that Loud Mouth idiot Corrola on the show
Ratings equal big paychecks and right now the mainstream media is on a massive anti-gay party train.
The Walker recall, I can’t speak beyond what I’ve been told by some people from Wisconsin, but it was basically rigged.
Voter intimidation, threats by citizens against other citizens, false reports of changes in location and dates for the vote, thousands of votes “disqualified” on technicalities without appropriate time or ability to challenge the decision. The usual Republican antics.
One friend from there was Fired for saying she would vote against Walker while chatting during lunch.
The “official” reason for her firing was “incompetence”. She neglected to turn in some paperwork she had never seen before and had never even been mentioned to her.
William,
What a very thoughtful and accurate reply. Yes, I fear $ speaks volumes over human rights.
I suspect you are right about the recall and again Walker bought another election with Koch money!
Always with the complements you flatterer you 😉
Still, sad that so many Legitimate votes went to supporting Walker and his Corporate Overlords
Yes, I feel bad for Wisconsin and for all the Democrats that worked so hard to recall Walker.
You know I have to defend my man here 😉 One, I have to tell you that I have listened to his radio show for years. He does *not* rail against anal sex. What he will say, when people call in talking about pain, is that if it is painful for them, they should not do it. People call in (especially women, fewer men) talking about how they cry every time they have anal sex and how do they stop, he answers “then maybe this particular act isn’t for you?” He rarely discusses anal sex involving men (I’ve never heard him talk about ‘tops’ or ‘bottoms’), but does address the unique anal pathology that women can experience (due to their anatomy; a factual medical statement), but again in the context of “Don’t let pornography or your partner’s demands override your physical comfort level!” It’s sound advice for a generation of women coming to age sexually in a world of readily available and edge pushing pornography (without effective and accurate sex ed to counter act).
Adam Corolla was a cohost for Loveline for years. Dr. Drew doesn’t invite any guests onto the show, they are elected by the producers and Adam is hugely popular with Loveline fans. I think of Adam as more of a ‘shock jock’ than truly homophobic. I’ve seen him go off on the religious right and Prop 8 with true venom.
I saw the interview in question, and actually thought that Dr. Drew was going out of his way to not ‘turn off’ the audience who were in favor of this damaging practice, and keep them open minded. He actually called out a lot of BS on the side of the ‘conversion’ people; correcting a lot of their malicious and erroneous statements. He has also repeatedly (on television and on Loveline) stated that this type of therapy is *damaging*.
I got to disagree with you here my friend. I believe that Dr. Drew is (and has been for decades) a true ally to the gay community. He has also stated repeatedly, that he is very open for constructive redirection from the gay community if they feel he is off base.
Jen,
I completely agree that Dr. Drew is quite complicated. However, the comments regarding anal are easily attributed to Drew and can be found with in seconds doing a search. I have to disagree with you regarding Corolla–he should never have been on the show. Regardless of intent, we have to deal with impact on a targeted population. I suppose I will conclude with my original assertion that Dr. Drew is complicated and like most humans is flawed. I’m not always convinced he is aware of his white heterosexual power and privilege.
Jani,
You can still like Dr. Drew. I think he is a very complicated man that is not very self-aware because he does not have to be.
Boo. I never knew. I havent heard anything from dr drew since he was on lovelines. Makes me sad.
i think unbridled pursuit of fame is medically harmful, dr. drew.
Lovely, lovely reply, Brad!
I believe it’s one of the leading causes of Head-in-Rear syndrome
You are so delightfully silly, William.
Ever since I saw his shows for drugs and sex addiction I have despised him!!!
Anal sex isn’t medically safe? Yes, cause my vagina is immune to disease and infection….it missed that memo….
You are such a social worker! 🙂
Yay! I just don’t understand various arguments towards sex that is associated with being “gay”. ANY COUPLE that engages in anal sex or vaginal sex should use condoms to cut infection/illness risk because the human body can be gross! (and I say that lovingly)
So I win! “Doctor” loses.
I think we also need to point out that proportionately, more heterosexual couples have anal sex than homosexuals.
In homophobes faces! This is very true.
I can’t breathe I’m laughing so hard
😛
I think we should throw in dr. phil too. AHHHHH I hate tv/ radio drs. Ok I hate most real drs too.
I LIKE IT! Your idea that is.
I like Dr. Phil but the more I learn the more he’s starting to look like a booger. He wants to uphold too many traditional things that make me uncomfortable.
I have to confess, I am not a fan of Dr. Phil. He violates the primary tenant of social work, which is self-determination.
It’s cause he’s a psychologist 😛 I will only seek counselling from social workers. I don’t trust anyone else. Once they find out I’m also a social worker the relationship improves because we have a higher level of understanding!
Indeed, while we have such a similar training, we, as social workers, try not to pathologize our clients.
Some of the horrible things he would do on his show are unmentionable.
Oy! That makes me sad!
I must have missed this one. He should have had some of those who tried the religious themed pray the gay away who wind up being suicidal- have all aspects of the program on.