Transgender advocate August Sundeen appeared today on a Sacramento radio station photo: KTXL TV

“We are here today to make things right with the people who give us our free speech -- our audience,” KRXQ radio host Robbie Williams said at the beginning of today’s edition of the “Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show”, which is aired by the Sacramento radio station and rebroadcast by a station in Reno, Nev..

Williams and his co-host Arnie States apologized Thursday morning for comments they made on their May 28 show about transgender teens. During an extended rant on the morning show, they referred to members of the transgender community as “freaks,” “fruits” and as experiencing “mental defects” meant to “draw attention to themselves”, Sacramento Press reports.

They’ve been off air this week after heated reaction to the comments from listeners, bloggers, activists, and – eventually – from advertisers who have been pulling their accounts from the station since the show aired, Sacramento Bee reports.

[The full audio of today’s program is available here on the Rob & Arnie website.]

Local and national businesses, including McDonald's, AT&T, Verizon, and Nissan have pulled advertising from the show or said they plan to discontinue ads.

Transgender advocates and GLAAD pleased with ‘good forum’ on KRXQ show [contd.]

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has been vocal in their objection to the comments by Williams and States, as have bloggers – most notably Michael Rowe at Huffington Post and transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen, a contributor at Pam’s House Blend.

States and Williams were initially reluctant to apologize for their rant, even after the public outcry, the Press reports.

On their June 3 program, States said, “I think it's ridiculous to think that I'm advocating violence against kids,” according to the Press. “I know a lot of people don't understand this, that's a joke. Maybe you find that to be a tasteless joke, but I have never advocated for parents to beat their children.”

At the urging of GLAAD, Sandeen appeared on today’s program along with Kim Pearson, executive director of San Diego’s TransYouth Family Allies.

As he introduced today’s program which featured the two transgender advocates, Williams said it was the show’s listeners who made it most obvious to him that he and States should apologize.

“Our audience made it clear that we had actually made it seem as though we endorse or allow, or in a worst case scenario from some of the comments I've heard from our fans, encourage the harming and abuse of children, the bullying and vilifying of those who are different and singling out of transgenders for harm and/or mocking,” Williams said. “And for that, for the education that our audience has supplied to me, I want you to very clearly understand that I proudly and fully apologize, apologize for those comments completely.”

“I’m sorry that this show in any way made it sound like we would ever tolerate any of those things that I described,” he added, according to GLAAD’s  transcription.

States echoed his partner’s apology. “My ignorance prevented me from understanding how hard a transgender's life is day to day...and I am very sorry for that,” States said during KRXQ's two-and-a-half-hour, commercial-free broadcast. “I ignorantly thought that name-calling was just that. Due to my ignorance, I was wrong.”

In a blog entry posted after the program aired, GLAAD relayed Pearson’s reaction to the program:

It’s not up to me to grant forgiveness or absolution, and people are going to hold their feet to the fire. I think this was a good thing, it was a good forum, it was productive, it was good for everyone listening – but time will tell. It was a good first step, but actions speak louder than words.

Pearson told the Bee after the program aired, “An apology was definitely in order and an apology was given – but  actions speak louder than words."

She added, “I’m happy that they apologized. I think it was the right thing to do. But people will be watching.”

Sandeen, a 20-year Navy veteran, recounted her military experience and provided a description of what makes a transgendered person on today’s program, the Bee reports.

She said she has been hurt by insults. “It is kind of hard when someone calls you ‘It’ or ‘That Thing’”, said Sandeen.

GLAAD also relayed Sandeen’s response to the program:

I think this is the way we make change – and we don’t mean as individuals, but as a community. Humanity won the day. I think that’s what worked – we all became humans in the same room instead of stereotypes.

In an interview with KTXL 40Fox taped just after the program aired, Sandeen said she had been pleasantly surprised by the sincerity of the apologies from the hosts, especially Williams. “It was very sincere, and very heartfelt,” she said. “He really understood that you just can’t say bad things about kids.”

Sundeen said she had agreed to appear on the air with Williams and States because “they needed to see real human transgender people and they needed to see a real human parent of a transgender child, and then respond. How do you respond to someone who’s not a stereotype, or a mental picture of  what they’re like, but instead the real people?”

Sandeen said again that the reaction of Williams was the most surprising aspect of the day. “I think he got it,” Sandeen said of Williams’ reaction, “and that was so surprising to see because I did not expect to see that.”

[a raw tape of the KTXL interview is available here.]

Rashad Robinson, GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs called today’s program “an important opportunity to have a conversation about transgender people and lives.”

He added, “We are encouraged that the hosts used their platform as a forum for education about these issues in a way that resonated with listeners.”

Source: 98Rock Morning Show Apologizes For Transgender, Child Abuse Comments | Sacramento Press 
'Rob, Arnie & Dawn' hosts apologize for transgender comments | Sacramento Bee
KRXQ Hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States Apologize for Dehumanizing and Defamatory Comments Advocating Child Abuse of Transgender Children | GLAAD statement
Local Morning Show Apologizes Over Transgender, Child Abuse Comments | KTXL TV

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