The Lansing, Michigan, water and electric utility recently cancelled a Duck Dynasty lookalike contest because of the moral position the cast of the show has taken on homosexuality.
On April 14 the Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) had announced the contest as part of its popular annual chili cook-off in May. But when a local citizen e-mailed the utility to complain that the show’s patriarch, Phil Robertson, had come out publicly in opposition to homosexual marriage and it was “poor judgment” to have a light-hearted contest surrounding the show, the utility quickly pulled the plug on the contest.
BWL spokesman Steve Serkaian told the Lansing State Journal that after receiving the negative e-mail from Danielle Casavant, “it took about a minute” for the utility officials to cave in and drop the contest. “We didn’t want any controversy from this matter to detract from what has been a longstanding, family-friendly event whose proceeds are donated to charitable causes,” explained Serkaian.
An official statement from the BWL explained that “the decision was made in light of controversial remarks by a Duck Dynasty cast member against the LGBT community. The BWL is committed to diversity and respect community differences, and we regret if the contest offended anyone.”
According to the State Journal, Casavant told the BWL that it had “showed poor judgment” in using the pro-family Duck Dynasty group to promote its annual chili cook-off. “The City of Lansing has come out very publicly promoting equality,” she wrote. “It seemed hypocritical to do something that glamourizes and promotes the show in any way.”
As reported by The New American, in the January issue of GQ magazine Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson was asked about his view on homosexuality, to which he famously replied that according to the Bible, “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.”
But gay activists were most offended when Robertson spoke frankly about the irrational nature of male homosexual behavior, telling the GQ reporter that “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.”
That comment, more than any other in the interview, prompted homosexual activists to demand that the A&E network drop the Duck Dynasty program, one of its most popular. Instead, the network placed Robertson on a forced hiatus from the show — that is, until the rest of the Robertson family vowed that they would not appear without the family patriarch, which prompted the network to quickly welcome Robertson back to the program.
Duck Dynasty’s continued popularity has not prevented homosexual activist groups from taking pot shots at the show, and the decision to drop the lookalike contest amounted to a ham-handed attempt by the BWL to re-enforce its conciliation toward the local homosexual community. “This company has a commitment to inclusiveness and diversity,” Serkaian told Fox News. “We have our own diversity department. We take quite seriously our commitment to that.”
He emphasized that Casavant “was right” to make an issue out of the contest. “We have a very active and strong LGBT community in Lansing,” he said.
