No, I'm not exaggerating. As reported by Towleroad, a Cleveland radio personality--Dominic Dieter of WMMS 100.7's show Rover's Morning Glory--told the father of a possibly lesbian girl to have his daughter raped by a man until she's straight.
The comment came after he received an e-mail from a father who had found his teenage daughter kissing another girl. Dieter decided to dispense his advice: Have one of your friends "screw" her. That's right. According to Dieter, the father should get one of his grown adult friends to "screw" his teenage daughter because she kissed a girl.
From the GLAAD report:
According to the incident reports (and later confirmed to us by an executive for Clear Channel, the station's parent company), the anti-gay remark was made by Dominic Dieter, one of the "Rover's Morning Glory" cast members. Responding to an e-mail from a father who (for reasons unknown) wrote to the station to say that he'd happened upon his teenage daughter kissing another girl. Deiter responded to the father, on-air, by saying:
"You should get one of your friends to screw your daughter straight."
This is not okay. Not on any level, and not in any context. We trust that the majority of fair-minded Americans will agree. Make no mistake, if this young woman is, in fact, gay - or if she's simply not interested in having sex with any of her father's friends, then what Dieter is suggesting is rape.
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I don't know if Dieter was trying to be funny. Not that it matters. These comments are dripping with homophobia and misogyny, not anything resembling even the sickest of humor. But even if he was, there is nothing--NOTHING--even remotely funny about corrective rape. Yes, it exists, Mr. Dieter. It's very real to many, many women. And to top it off, not only is Dieter calling for corrective rape, he's calling for child abuse.
This is beyond infuriating. It's horrific. And Dieter has received not even a reprimand.
It's not just anti-gay. It's anti-woman. It's anti-child. It's anti-human. It's despicable.
Here are GLAAD's demands:
No one should be let off the hook for saying what Dieter said, especially media personalities who are often revered by their impressionable young listeners. Though Dieter's castmates called him out for his remark, that's not nearly enough. Because this remark is so severe, it is Dieter and WMMS/Clear Channel's obligation to take responsbility for this awful mistake. To that end, GLAAD has reached out to Clear Channel executives and asked for Dieter to be suspended. We would also like a sincere apology, and for the show to devote a segment to speaking about the real harms that can come from parental rejection, even if they aren't as repulsive as the method suggested on-air this morning.
You know, I wouldn't be satisfied with an apology from this scum. I don't care if he's sorry. He should be
off the air.
NOW. No bullshit "I'm-sorry-if-I-offended-you" apology Dieter could possibly conjure up would make up in any way, shape, or form for these disgusting comments. He needs to be dismissed, period.
If you feel as strongly about this as I do, here is the station's feedback e-mail address: feedback@wmms.com
The general manager, Gary Mincer, can be reached at 216-520-2600.
Also, please sign the change.org petition calling for Dieter's termination.
UPDATE: Christian Dem in NC notes below that the show is syndicated. It looks like WZNE in Rochester, New York, is one of the affiliates. You can drop the the program director at WZNE a line at nik@thezone941.com
In addition, please stop by the show's Facebook page and give them a piece of your mind. And tweet them, too!
UPDATE #2: If you'd like to file an FCC complaint against the show for Dieter's comments, here is the FCC contact information. H/T to Angie in WA State.
fccinfo@fcc.gov
Phone: 888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322)
Fax: (866) 418-0232