The American Family Association pulled a fast one on America last night. Bryan Fischer was not fired from the AFA, no promises were made, no apologies were given.
Wednesday night, Twitter and the media exploded upon news that Bryan Fischer, the infamous radio host, spokesperson and director of issue analysis (whatever that is) at the American Family Association, had been fired. Rachel Maddow broke the story, having teased it during the afternoon. It was a huge win for not just the LGBT community, whom Fischer used as a punching bag daily, but for common decency.
LOOK: Breaking: Bryan Fischer Fired As American Family Association's Spokesperson - But
"American Family Association fires Bryan Fischer ahead of RNC trip to Israel," is the title online at MSNBC of Maddow's report, noting "the American Family Association firing [of] Bryan Fisher over remarks about Hitler and homosexuality."
And for those who don't know of Fischer, his infamy comes from the many times he has said the Nazis were gay, the Nazi Party was "formed in a gay bar" by "homosexual thugs," and that "Hitler himself was a homosexual." There's also his dangerous HIV/AIDS denialism, his calls to re-criminalize homosexuality and jail LGBT people, and his frequent attacks on liberalism. And that's just for starters.
After Maddow's report, some had to clarify that Fischer was "fired" from his job as spokesperson and director of issue analysis, but that he would still retain his position as radio show host at the American Family Association. Fischer himself mocked the news of his "firing":
Don't believe everything you hear! I'll be on air same time tomorrow as always 1-3pm CT, on http://t.co/sI2xhN0XQd. Tune in!
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanJFischer) January 29, 2015
And that appears to be true - Bryan Fischer may have lost his meaningless title of director of issue analysis, and his more prominent but still useless title of spokesperson - but he has retained the most important and, more importantly, his most dangerous ability: radio host spewing lies and garbage daily on the American Family Radio network that broadcasts from over 160 radio stations across 40 states, plus online and is archived on Vimeo.
In other words, Bryan Fischer still has a platform to broadcast hate speech, and is still being paid by the American Family Association to do so.
Also, the American Family Association has not apologized for the hate Bryan Fischer speaks every day, nor has Fischer.
There has been no official correction issued. The only denunciation, if it can be called that, came from AFA president Tim Wildmon, who, as Rachel Maddow reported Wednesday evening, told MSNBC that Fischer is "just a talk show host," and they "reject" his "soundbite quotes...the Hitler and homosexuality one." Not all of them, but one.
Bryan Fischer may be "just a talk show host" now, but he is still their talk show host. And neither he nor the American Family Association have apologized. Fischer has not rejected his own views, and the American Family Association has not either, except for that unspecified "one."
Last night on Twitter, Right Wing Watch, which works to chronicle the hate speech from the radical right, put it succinctly:
1,250. That is the number of posts we wrote chronicling Bryan Fischer's bigotry before the AFA finally fired him http://t.co/E98rK10p07
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) January 29, 2015
The American Family Association pulled a fast on Wednesday night.
You can still hear Bryan Fischer daily on the American Family Association's radio network, "as always 1-3pm CT." "Tune in!"
Image: Screenshot via Vimeo
Inserts: Screenshots via MSNBC
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