PHOTO: The anti-gay theocrat Rev. Pat Robertson (right) is seen hosting his Jan. 11, 1017 TV program The 700 Club on his Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Robertson first worships the new Republican U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and later interviews a Christian book author (left) while showing the cover jacket (lower right inset) for the book by Dr. Kevin Leman, "Have a New Sex Life by Friday: Because Your Marriage Can't Wait until Monday," Revell (January 17, 2017). The electronic program guide and "TV Guide" description provided by CBN for this program says, "After a decade of feeling like outsiders, many on the religious right expect a resurgence in political influence" -- thanks to Donald Trump and his hand-picked U.S. Vice President-elect Mike Pence, because Pence is a favorite of evangelicals according to Robertson. This pitiful political message of "we Christians are victims" has become a favorite one of the religious right as a political slogan to push for the "religious freedom" or "religious liberty" constitutional amendments and laws that would give them the right to discriminate against others based on religious beliefs, such as the right of a public baker to refuse to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage.
Amusingly, Robertson expresses his shock that the book's author Leman is the first ever guest on his show to wear shorts (how gay is the implication) and Robertson then, without any censorship, graphically discusses sexual orgasms and geriatric sex issues personally experienced by Robertson and the solutions given in the book.
Ironically, Rev. Pat Robertson is a lifelong member of the Southern Baptist church that for at least the last Century has supported the traditional blue laws in many states that have historically prohibited public displays of affection, outlawed gay sex acts, and censored sex publications, such as "Playboy" magazine.
Robertson started CBN in the early days of free over-the-air broadcast TV and today the "700 Club" is still being aired locally on Eugene's KMTR-TV Channel 16 at 10:00 AM and KLSR-TV Channel 34 at 11:00 AM. The "700 Club" program can also be seen through the most commonly subscribed to bundle of Corvallis Comcast on the cable TV channel Freeform at 10:00 AM weekdays. Freeform is a descendant of a cable TV channel Robertson started in the early days of cable TV before he became a billionaire by selling it to Walt Disney Company in 2001, who renamed it as ABC Family channel, and then later it became the cable TV channel Freeform.
It is significant that the cable TV channel and both of the Eugene TV stations airing the "700 Club" now precede the program with a notice saying the following is paid program that does not necessarily reflect the views of the station's management. In fact, it was just a few decades ago when at least one of these TV stations was owned by a devout Christian who was an early supporter of Robertson's TV ministry and evangelism, which I have personally witnessed to be truly helpful to many down-and-out people in need, but I have also witnessed Robertson harming gay people from his support of laws against their equal rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Robertson previously ran for U.S. President on a theocratic platform that is still supported today by Trump's hand-picked evangelical V.P. Pence, who condemns gay people and wants to reverse much of the progress made by President Obama.
The queer blogger Michelangelo Signorile has written much on the threats to LGBT equality from the new Vice President Mike Pence: Michelangelo Signorile, "The Mike Pence (Donald Trump) Assault On LGBTQ Equality Is Already Underway," huffingtonpost.com posted Jan. 1, 2017. Also see previous post Why Trump is queer and loved by many men and women (12/23/16) where I discuss and link to another excellent essay by Michelangelo Signorile, "Why We Can't Be 'Friends' Any Longer After You Voted For Donald Trump," huffingtonpost.com posted Dec. 13, 2016 that describes how divisive the new President is to many people.
