On Saturday, November 8, the Museum of Broadcast Communications (which has struggled over the last few years to re-open to the public) will hold a $500 black-tie gala to inducts its 2008 nominees into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Among the inductees (who were chosen through open voting) is Focus on the Family’s James Dobson, a well-known right wing homophobe who has gone out of his way to vilify homosexuals and offer up lies about our families. As you can imagine, this has caused much ire among gay-rights groups like Truth Wins Out and Chicago’s own Gay Liberation Network, but protests were met with a statement from NRHF chairman Bruce DuMont on the museum’s website, which included the following passage: "A broadcaster’s political, social or religious views never are considered when deciding to include or exclude a candidate. Likewise, the National Radio Hall of Fame does not endorse or support the views voiced by any nominee or inductee on the air or via any other platform."

Fair enough, but consider this statement made by Dobson several years ago to the Daily Oklahoman on Oct 23, 2004. "Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth." One has to wonder, if Dobson were picking on another minority—let’s say he were accusing Jews or Blacks of destroying the earth—would the Radio Hall of Fame still induct him? Is there no standard for an inductee aside from the number of public votes cast? I noticed that our own Studs Terkel, a radio legend but one who lacks an email database of 2.5 million subscribers like Dobson, was ignored. It saddens me that in the Land of Lincoln (the first state in the union where anti-sodomy laws were struck down, the first place in the nation where a neighborhood was officially designated "gay" and the only place to have a municipally-funded Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame) the struggling Museum of Broadcast Communications puts Dobson on a pedestal by honoring him.

Nevertheless, I look forward to a protest taking place Saturday, November 8 from 5:30-7:30pm outside the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, where the induction ceremony is taking place. In the meantime, call the museum at 312.245.8200 or email DuMont at brucedumont@museum.tv and let your voice be heard. You can also learn more at dumpdobson.com, gayliberation.net and truthwinsout.org.

Considering Dobson has built his empire on the condemnation of LGBT families, I can only wonder, will he at least thank us in his acceptance speech?