Bill O'Reilly Defends Gay Penguins: 'God Made the Penguin That Way'

Posted by Ali Frick, Think Progress at 3:15 PM on June 11, 2009.

Last night, Bill O’Reilly discussed the “gay penguins” at a zoo in Germany with guest Dennis Miller. O’Reilly shocked Miller by being eminently tolerant of the penguins, saying the zoo should “leave the penguin alone” because “God made the penguin that way”:

O’REILLY: Number one, if the penguin’s gay, leave the penguin alone. God made the penguin that way and I agree — I mean, I’m not one of these guys who thinks you should be converting anybody to anything. If you’re that way, and you’re not hurting anybody, I think you and I agree, we’re libertarians. So who cares? … If they’re happy, they’re happy. That’s my philosophy.

Watch it:

If only O’Reilly were as tolerant of gay humans; alas, his record shows quite a different picture:

— O’Reilly complained that J.K. Rowling is making children “tolerant” of homosexuality.

– O’Reilly warned that if gay marriage were allowed, people could marry ducks, turtles, and dolphins.

– O’Reilly censored a photo of two men kissing.

– O’Reilly claimed J.K. Rowling is a “provocateur” for “the gay agenda” of “indoctrination.”

– O’Reilly was disgusted by a transgender couple, saying, “Imagine a poor kid getting born into that family.”

– O’Reilly was furious that “thousands of gay adults showed up and commingled with straight families” at a Padres game, and suggested that gay couples hugging were making “over-the-top displays.”

In O’Reilly’s world, gay penguins should be left alone, but gay people should be mocked, reviled, and censored.

Ali Frick is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.