Rush Limbaugh Links Gay Marriage With An Effort To ‘Normalize Pedophilia’

On his popular radio show yesterday, Rush Limbaugh closely associated the movement to legalize gay marriage with an effort to “normalize pedophilia.” Limbaugh, who is no stranger to controversy, warned his listeners that they ought not miss a “single syllable” of his January 7th show, which he promised would be “loaded.”

Rush, according to transcripts posted on his website, began his show with a strong accusation:

“There is a movement on to normalize pedophilia, and I guarantee you your reaction to that is probably much the same as your reaction when you first heard about gay marriage. What has happened to gay marriage? It’s become normal — and in fact, with certain people in certain demographics it’s the most important issue in terms of who they vote for.”

Rush continued his show by mentioning the puppeteer for “Elmo,” at PBS, who was accused of molesting children. Limbaugh criticizes the incident for getting little attention. He further accuses the public of laughing at the story like it was “no big deal.” This example, he contends, proves that there is growing movement toward normalizing pedophilia.

According to transcripts om rushlimbaugh.com, Limbaugh asserted that acceptance and normalization of pedophilia are very similar to acceptance of gay marriage:

“They want us to all think that pedophilia is just another sexual orientation. You know who’s gonna fall right in line is college kids, just like they have on gay marriage, just like they do on all other revolutionary social issues. Their own definition of the cutting edge, civil rights, freedom, understanding, tolerance. So I’m just warning you here.”

In an article addressing the episode of Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, thinkprogress.org cautions that linking gay marriage and pedophilia is dangerous. The LGBT community has fought for equality for years, and they worry that Limbaugh’s message will unfairly and incorrectly link homosexuality with pedophilia. Their response to Limbaugh’s radio show highlights their concern:

“There is no way to compare two loving consenting adults to harming a child. If there were a valid reason to be concerned that society was no longer interested in protecting young people from sexual abuse, Limbaugh would have a compelling argument to make and many would surely rally around his cause. Instead, his words serve only to further demonize the LGBT community with archaic myths.”