Todd Starnes, Fox News Radio Host, Blames Public Schools For Rise Of Same-Sex Marriage Support (VIDEO)

On the heels of President Obama's public endorsement of gay marriage, Todd Starnes, host of the daily radio show "Fox News & Commentary," has said he blames public schools for the increased support for same-sex marriage in the country.

"... The reason why is because of the public school system," Starnes said on "FoxNews.com Live" on May 10. "Look at what's happening in public schools, they're indoctrination centers. Boys and girls are having their views formulated on gay marriage through the public school system and that's why it's becoming generational."

The LGBT blog "Equality Matters" noted that Starnes took to Twitter after making the comments, posting a series of tweets carrying the same message.

The reason younger Americans support gay marriage -- public school indoctrination.

— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) May 10, 2012

Other Fox News commentators have also been critical of Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage, perhaps most famously when its conservative blog, "Fox Nation" ran the headline, "Obama Flip Flops, Declares War On Marriage," shortly after the president's announcement. Hours later, the site revised the headline to read, "Obama Flip Flops On Gay Marriage."

Conversely, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith notably seemed to endorse Obama's announcement, saying the president was "now in the 21st century" and that Republicans were "sitting very firmly, without much question, on the wrong side of history on [the issue]."

Comments

[Ann Thurlow]

10:35 PM on 05/23/2012

I thought kids learned acceptance of same-sex unions from Bert & Ernie on Sesame Street. At any rate, my sons attend a religious-affiliated private school now, and it is very open and tolerant toward gays. Their public middle-school was also surprisingly accepting toward a teacher who underwent gender reassignment. Kids are adaptable. Species homo sapiens has survived on account of its adaptability.

[Goldzilla]

08:12 PM on 05/23/2012

He's right. The first half hour of every school day is "Gay is the Way" class in my district. In these classes we teachers tell stories of gay superheroes, gay leaders, gay gods, and gay animals. We teach children the evils of heterosexual sex and marriage. Then we read a prayer from the gay bible and eat some gay milk and cookies.

[e33]

11:48 AM on 05/23/2012

Fox is trying to spread it's propaganda. How embarrassing! Can't we shut down fox already?

[secondsoprano]

02:35 AM on 05/22/2012

The real "problem" for the fundies is the *lack of indoctrination.

Without teachers, pastors, chaplains etc drumming into their heads that gays are evil, homosexuality is a sin, marriage has always been btw a man and woman and other BS, public school kids not surprisingly will be more likely to reach the obvious conclusion that if two people want to get married they should get married.

Prejudice is not innate, it is learned.

[Bryan Spangelo]

10:14 PM on 05/21/2012

The republicans and conservatives seem to blame many society ills on education. The ability of a society to think for itself, to investigate nature, and to create theories that correctly describe the physical universe is directly correlated with its investment in education. Not surprising then that the extreme right seems intent on under-funding education, shortening school days and years, and promoting polarizing concepts. The Fox News commentary is correct on one point: our high schools are indoctrination centers for higher ideals and enlightenment.

[proteusdecision]

01:58 PM on 05/21/2012

This is so much like the German Nazis blaming Jews for everything that went wrong in Germany (caused by Christian Germans in the first place during WWI).

[pjordan]

10:55 AM on 05/21/2012

in other news fox blames educators for convincing people the world is round, man did not live with dinosaurs, and bloodletting with leeches may not always be the best medical route to take.

[Thanks4Watching]

12:34 AM on 05/21/2012

I graduated from high school last year. Not a single one of my teachers throughout my entire schooling has ever given any lesson related to homosexuality in any way, shape, or form. It was briefly touched on in sociology in my senior year, but only in regards to statistics.

Any mention of homosexuality was done by students. Public schools, at least the ones I went to, had nothing to do with "accepting homosexual marriage."

The answer really is much more simple than that: Social norms have changed. Young people, flat out, just don't care about this issue, and don't see anything wrong with it.

[Vgman]

08:39 PM on 05/20/2012

That is okay, I blame Fox News for stupid people.

[amgnme]

07:52 PM on 05/20/2012

If I had made this observation, it would have read "AMGNME praises public schools for rise of gay marriage support". If learning to accept all kinds of people and lifestyles is indoctrination, maybe we need to make it part of the curriculum in whatever schools he attended.

[am10]

09:37 AM on 05/20/2012

Well you do tend to meet people different from you in school.

[yooperz michigan]

07:47 AM on 05/20/2012

its the teachers!

and their interbreeding makes more teachers

[DevineLowler]

11:34 PM on 05/19/2012

Well considering public schools are typically filled with leftist teachers...

[Jeffrey Marks]

08:34 AM on 05/20/2012

citation please?

[pjordan]

10:57 AM on 05/21/2012

I have been a public school teacher for 24 years and I have known way more conservative teachers than liberal ones.

[mulee]

04:33 PM on 05/19/2012

You wanna know what's funny? Everytime there's an incident where gay people are being discriminated against in Catholic or Private schools the response is often "it's a private school...they have their rights...yadda, yadda, yadda". Well in a public school, the idea is the same...they have their right to teach about everything and everyone. So if you don't like it, go ahead and put your children in private school and let them be sheltered by grand delusions and ignorance. We'll see which kind of kids will be considered normal and which ones will be considered the unnatural weirdos when they reach adulthood.

[moremoneyfortherich]

03:24 AM on 05/19/2012

if you look at Same-Sex Marriage and want to take the side of assigning blame to the increase support it is getting today-- it comes 100% from digital media and entertainment ------- -- it is a united decision & boycott proof --- there is no option to go to a competitor of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and all their affluent channels are for same sex marriage, tolerance and acceptance -----Fox news will cover some anti- gay stories but FOX as a company is tolerant & accepting

[secondsoprano]

02:37 AM on 05/22/2012

"FOX as a company is tolerant & accepting"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, got me there, I thought you were serious for a minute!