Meet Todd Starnes, Fox’s Mouthpiece For Anti-Gay Hate Groups

Fox News’ Todd Starnes has never shied away from aligning himself with some of the more extreme and fringe elements of right-wing politics. He’s flirted with “birtherism,” made inflammatory comments about Muslims and African-Americans, and accused the Obama administration of launching a war against Christianity.

Over the past few months, it appears that Starnes has taken up a new cause – using his position as a Fox News Radio reporter to give a voice to some of the country’s worst anti-gay hate groups.

Ties To The Family Research Council

Last December, Starnes appeared on the American Family Association’s (AFA) “Today’s Issues” radio show to promote his Fox News website, ToddStarnes.com. He was joined by Tony Perkins, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center-designated anti-gay “hate group” Family Research Council (FRC). During the segment, Starnes claimed that his website would act as a hub of “culture war stories” that would depict hate groups like FRC and AFA in a positive light:

STARNES: This is sort of a place in the Fox family, the Fox News family, that folks can go and find those culture war stories that we cover.... These are stories that resonate with patriotic, God-fearing, God-loving Americans. And I think when people see the stories in one spot, they really understand what’s at stake and how thankful we are that there are organizations like the Family Research Council and American Family Radio that cover these issues.

Truthfully, I'm starting to believe that Fox News (I say that laughingly) should be designated a hate group.