Phil Robertson, the daddy duck to the camo-clad Robertson clan featured on A&E's reality blockbuster Duck Dynasty, is quacking up a storm in the latest issue of GQ. In a profile by the magazine's Drew Margary, the 67-year-old Robertson let fly a whole flock of homophobic comments about homosexuals, and what he feels is their sinful lifestyle.
Robertson, who hails from the northwest corner of Louisiana "where Cajun redneck culture and Ozark redneck culture intersect," regularly captivates 14 million viewers on his family's reality show on A&E. But unlike the majority of Americans, he's not down with LGBT. As he told GQ:
"It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical."
Then, when asked what, in his mind, was considered sinful, Robertson elaborated:
"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”
Robertson, who once had to flee the state of Arkansas because he assaulted a bar owner and his wife, says he never bothered repenting for his own sin, saying, "I didn’t dredge anything back up. I just put it behind me.” His son and reality TV co-star Jep even suggested the family tends to fall in line behind their father. GQ quoted Jep saying, "We’re not quite as outspoken as my dad, but I’m definitely in line. If somebody asks, I tell ’em what the Bible says.”
With the backlash already brewing, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation condemned the reality TV stars toxic philosophy. In a statement, GLAAD wrote that the statement is "far outside of the mainstream understanding of LGBT people." Even in Louisiana, which passed a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality, a majority of the population believes there should be some kind of recognition. GLAAD goes on:
"Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe," said GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz. "He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans - and Americans - who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."
A&E, for their part, fired off another statement from Robertson on Wednesday, which did little in the way of making an apology. Robertson writes: "I myself am a product of the '60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”
Update: Robertson has been placed on indefinite hiatus by the network.
