Fired NH Radio Host Doug Lambert Takes Leave from Blog

Conservative New Hampshire radio host Doug Lambert, who directed a tirade of homophobic abuse at gay New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley into a webstream at the end of his show over the weekend — and was  dropped from his station for it — announced that he is taking leave from the blog at which he writes, GraniteGrok.com.

Wrote Lambert: "I plan on spending my time in prayer and reflection, looking inward to the unhealthy malice in my heart, for which I will ultimately have to face my Maker , begging for His undeserved mercy. One last point-- and then I ask for peace and privacy in this matter. In addition to those listed in my original apology statement, I owe my great friend Skip Murphy the most sincerest of apologies for all that has resulted from my inexcusable actions. Through no fault of his, all that has been built with great effort and heartache is now mostly all gone. In an instant. Like that… Let this be a lesson to those who harbor such hatred as I have demonstrated—think about it. We must love EVERYBODY as we do ourselves. And all the world is a camera. There is no hiding anymore. I engaged in a WHOLE lot of free speech around here. With that, comes responsibility. Use it wisely."

Larry Johnson to Sign with Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are signing former Kansas City Chiefs running Larry Johnson just over a week after he was released following a suspension for calling two reporters "faggots" and directing a similar slur at a fan on Twitter:

The Kansas City Star reports: "Peter Schaffer wrote in an e-mail that Johnson's deal would be finished early Tuesday, a day after Johnson reportedly was in Cincinnati to meet with Bengals coaches. Reports surfaced Monday that Johnson, who was released last week by the Chiefs after 6 seasons, was being courted by the Bengals after running back Cedric Benson suffered a hip injury in Sundays win against Pittsburgh. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis told local reporters Monday that, if his team signed Johnson, the 29-year-old rusher would be insurance to Cincinnati's ailing running backs corps. Johnson will at least start his time with the Bengals as their fourth-string running back."

Equality Cincinnati called the move by the Bengals "a slap in the face."

Said executive director Lesley Jones: "We do not think that would be a favorable decision on the part of the Bengals. We would see this as a slap in the face to all the work we've done for equality and LBGT rights in Cincinnati. [The Bengals] must take action to prove that they support equality and LBGT rights in the city."

NH Radio Host Fired for Calling Gay Democratic Party Chair a 'Faggot'

Over the weekend I reported on New Hampshire radio host and blogger Doug Lambert, who directed a vicious homophobic diatribe at gay New Hampshire Party Chair Ray Buckley into a web stream at the end of his show.

NH Political Report reported on Sunday: "After his radio show 'Meet the New Press' ended today, GraniteGrok.com co-founder Doug Lambert looked into a live web-streaming camera, mockingly wished state Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley a Happy Birthday and then called Buckley a 'faggot' before basically wishing him dead....After co-host Skip Murphy said that he should probably shut off the feed, Lambert looked into the camera and said, 'Speaking of gays, Happy Birthday Ray Buckley. Are you going to Holland or taking another trip with your buddies?' He then dances in a way meant to mock a gay male and says: 'Yeah you Faggot. [Pause.] That's right I said it and I meant it. You are reprobate. How the people, the Democrats, I think of some of the gray haired ladies and older people from the old party would stand behind you is beyond me. You are a disgrace to yourself to humanity to mankind and to your party. Other than that Happy Birthday Ray and many more -- not,' Lambert continued before the feed was quickly shut off."

Lambert has been fired by WEMJ 1490 am, the radio station which carries his show: "The decision was announced Monday afternoon in a written press release by Nassau Broadcasting Regional Manager Rob Fulmer. In addition, Ed Engler, the editor of the Laconia Daily Sun, announced his newspaper would no longer carry Lambert's weekly column. Both decisions are the fallout from Lambert's Saturday tirade in which he called Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley 'a faggot,' further insulting him and other homosexual men by mimicking the way gay men are purported to walk. Although Lambert was off the air during his rant against Buckley, he was in WEMJ's studio and his comments were streamed live over his Internet site, GraniteGrok. '... [W]e find the comments by him to be completely out of line and unacceptable and we will not allow Mr. Lambert the opportunity to continue to air his show on our radio station,' Fulmer said."

At a press conference in Concord yesterday, New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition Executive Director Mo Baxley condemned both Lambert and the silence from New Hampshire GOP Chair John Sununu.

  Said Baxley:

"I’ve called this press conference to denounce the hateful remarks made by the prominent Republican activist and right wing radio host, Doug Lambert, on his show this past Saturday....This is not the first time Doug Lambert has made offensive remarks of this nature. As the Laconia Citizen pointed out today, following black comedienne Wanda Sykes' comments at the annual White House Press Corps Dinner in May about former Vice-President Dick Cheney, Lambert wrote, 'May she choke on a chicken bone or a watermelon rind. What ever gets the job done?'

While some Republican candidates and public officials have denounced Lambert’s offensive remarks, the silence from John H. Sununu, Chairman of the State Republican Party, on these hateful slurs is deafening. But his silence comes as no surprise. Over the past few months, he has crisscrossed the state using rhetoric not dissimilar from the hateful things Lambert said on his show. Although he has not used the specific slur mouthed by Lambert, John H. Sununu has continually railed against gay and lesbian families. He has described marriage equality as garbage, called on Governor Lynch to 'veto the garbage,' and accused Democrats of trying to impose a San Francisco agenda on NH dozens of times.

Make no mistake, Sununu’s repeated claims that equal rights for everyone would ruin NH is just coded language. And the sentiment he seeks to foster is no different from the politics of hate and fear expressed by Lambert on his show this past Saturday.

As a frequent guest on Lambert’s show, Sununu should denounce his despicable comments, pledge never to go on the show, and vow never again to use the issue of equal rights as a weapon to gain political advantage. Additionally, the Belknap County Republican website, which is run by Doug Lambert, should post a statement denouncing his comments and remove him from his position of authority. And the radio show WEMJ, which hosts Lambert’s 'Meet the New Press' radio show, should remove him from the air immediately.

I also want to make it clear that this press conference, and the actions we demand, are not about any one person. This is about a greater culture that has been created by John H. Sununu at the New Hampshire Republican Party. He has sought to marginalize the gay and lesbian community over the past several months by using hurtful rhetoric, and should stand against such discrimination. A failure to respond by Sununu, the Belknap County Republicans, and WEMJ would speak volumes. New Hampshire has a long tradition of rejecting discrimination and promoting equality. The libertarian streak in our state lends itself to freedom, and not hate. This type of behavior should be discouraged by all political persuasions—a simple apology is not enough.

Radio Host to Gay NH Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley: 'Yeah you Faggot. That's right I said it and I meant it.'

Gay New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley was called a "faggot" by the host of a well-known New Hampshire right-wing radio show yesterday. NH Political Report via Blue Hampshire:

After his radio show "Meet the New Press" ended today, GraniteGrok.com co-founder Doug Lambert looked into a live web-streaming camera, mockingly wished state Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley a Happy Birthday and then called Buckley a "faggot" before basically wishing him dead.

...After co-host Skip Murphy said that he should probably shut off the feed, Lambert looked into the camera and said, "Speaking of gays, Happy Birthday Ray Buckley. Are you going to Holland or taking another trip with your buddies?"

He then dances in a way meant to mock a gay male and says: "Yeah you Faggot. [Pause.] That's right I said it and I meant it. You are reprobate. How the people, the Democrats, I think of some of the gray haired ladies and older people from the old party would stand behind you is beyond me. You are a disgrace to yourself to humanity to mankind and to your party.

"Other than that Happy Birthday Ray and many more -- not," Lambert continued before the feed was quickly shut off.

Lambert's remarks were condemned by Rep. Jim Splaine: "Ray Buckley has put up with a lot since he let others know he is gay.  All of us who are openly gay are at times on the receiving end of such disgusting comments.  Some of us receive hate mail or calls for what we do on our fight for equality.  But in this case, Ray and the many others who have worked hard this year and in years past to achieve marriage equality in New Hampshire have a louder voice than this GraniteGrok co-host character.  The majority of people in New Hampshire are on the side of equality and love, not hate and discrimination."

Lambert apologized soon after the slur, but not before NH-01 Congressman Jeb Bradley (R) and current GOPer NH-Sen explorer Ovide Lamontagne, who were on his show today, distanced themselves. Said Lambert: "To be blunt, what I said is something that never should have been said in any kind of a public setting, or, quite frankly, in a private one either. Being human, and an honest person that is used to freely speaking my mind, my passion got the best of me."

Kansas City Chiefs Release Running Back Larry Johnson Over 'Conduct Detrimental to the Team'

The Kansas City Chiefs have cut running back Larry Johnson on his first day back from a two-week suspension.

The suspension was the result of an October 26 incident in which Johnson told two members of the media in the Chiefs locker room, "Get your faggot asses out of here." He directed similar language at a fan on Twitter.

Johnson's agent Peter Schaffer later made the ridiculous claim to TMZ that neither he nor Johnson knew that "faggot" was offensive. Said Schaffer: "We know the N-word is unacceptable, that's not disputable -- but f*g? I'm learning that there's a segment of our society that finds it offensive and that it should not be used. I didn't realize that, but I do know now..."

The Kansas City Star reports Johnson's release was for "conduct detrimental to the team."

The Chiefs are planning a 3:30pm news conference to discuss the move.

LI Gay Basher: 'God Made Me Hate Gay People'

One man has been arrested for an anti-gay attack on two men that happened early Sunday morning in Lakeview, New York, WPIX reports:

"The two victims, one who was dressed up in drag for Halloween, were walking on Woodfield Road near Janos Ave. at around 1:50 a.m. when they were approached by a car being driven by a woman with three men inside. The three men, one who has been identified as 23-year-old Robert Bellamy Jr. of Lakeview, exited the vehicle and surrounded the victims who were on their way home from a Halloween party. Bellamy is accused of punching one of the victims in the face and then, along with the two other suspects, punched the second victim in the head, knocking him to the ground and calling him a 'faggot' during the assault, police said. While the victim was on the ground, all three suspects reportedly kicked him in the stomach and stole $7 from his pockets before fleeing the scene. The suspects initially spotted the two men at a gas station where they hurled anti-gay remarks at them, Nassau Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said."

Said Bellamy to police: "God made me hate gay people."

The victims were brought to the hospital, treated, and released.