Don Lemon

Don Lemon, CNN's Gay-vangelist: Opines That Literal Bible Reading is 'Naive' and 'Dangerous'
By Tim Graham | June 16, 2011 | 10:11 PM EDT

Promoted in the top left of CNN's Belief blog is an article by openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon on "How I Learned to Stop 'Praying Away the Gay.'" Lemon spent this childhood praying for God to change his sexuality, but then he went to college and "common sense began to take hold and I realized that no amount of prayer would change me into something that wasn't natural to me." He "learned" that the Bible should never be taken literally:

As I got older I began to realize that all these people and institutions interpreted the Bible somewhat differently. I had a sort of epiphany: the Bible was about the lessons you learned, not about the events or words.

CNN's 'Objective' Don Lemon Uses Joy Behar to Smear Rick Santorum
By Matt Hadro | June 13, 2011 | 1:30 PM EDT

Openly-gay CNN anchor Don Lemon dug back to a May 16 interview with liberal Joy Behar to smear GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum just before Monday night's Republican primary debate. Behar then said of the socially-conservative Santorum that he "seems like a big homophobe," and Lemon made sure Friday to reference that smear and put Santorum on the defensive.

As NewsBusters reported Friday, Lemon badgered Santorum in an airport over his positions on gay marriage. The CNN segment featured an abbreviated portion of the interview, and Lemon aired the extended version Sunday evening on the 7 p.m. EDT hour of Newsroom.

CNN's Don Lemon Belittles Rick Santorum Over Gay Rights Issue
By Matt Hadro | June 10, 2011 | 5:33 PM EDT

Openly-gay CNN anchor Don Lemon badgered GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum over his views on gay marriage Friday, questioning his stance on gay rights and if he really had any gay friends. A brief clip of the interview that aired on Newsroom Friday afternoon revealed Lemon to be fairly testy in his questions.

Having revealed in May that he is gay, Lemon defended his objectivity as a journalist and dismissed the notion that he would be biased on the gay rights debate. But later he told a pro-gay newspaper "I hope to change minds" as an openly-gay journalist, and that there should be more journalists who come out. NewsBusters has documented Lemon's history of pro-gay bias.

CNN's Don Lemon Scraps Objectivity Now That He's Openly Gay: 'I Hope to Change Minds'
By Tim Graham | May 27, 2011 | 10:51 PM EDT

When CNN anchor Don Lemon announced he was gay and went on The Joy Behar Show on May 16, he insisted I don`t think just because I'm gay that it makes, it takes my brain away. Or it makes me not be objective. I`ve been doing this job for a long time. And I've been objective and I think I've been fair.”

But in a new interview with the gay newspaper The Washington Blade, Lemon took a different stand: “I hope to change minds.” Conservatives must be converted. Objectivity is naturally going to suffer when there’s a socially liberal agenda to press forward:

Santorum Strikes Back at Behar's 'Big Homophobe' Remark
By Noel Sheppard | May 18, 2011 | 8:15 PM EDT

As NewsBusters previously reported, Joy Behar called former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Penn.) a "big homophobe" on the HLN program bearing her name Monday.

Santorum struck back Wednesday on WOR radio's "The Steve Malzberg Show" saying, "This is really the problem that we see on the left which is the personalization of politics" (audio follows with transcript and commentary):

Joy Behar: Rick Santorum 'Seems Like a Big Homophobe'
By Matt Hadro | May 17, 2011 | 6:00 PM EDT

Hosting openly-gay CNN anchor Don Lemon on her Monday night show, HLN's Joy Behar lamented that Lemon will have to interview GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum "who seems like a big homophobe."

The liberal host advised Lemon that "you're going to have people sit there with you like Rick Santorum who seems like a big homophobe, and others because they're running for president or whatever, and will talk about gay marriage, et cetera. How do you feel that you'll be able to handle that easily?"

(Video below the break.)

After Revealing He Is Gay, CNN's 'Objective' Don Lemon Asks Network to Support Others 'Who Choose to Come Out'
By Matt Hadro | May 17, 2011 | 3:00 PM EDT

CNN anchor Don Lemon grabbed headlines over the weekend with his Twitter announcement that he is gay. On Monday his co-workers provided plenty of time for him on two separate shows to share his story and his own views on the gay-rights issue, and showered him with support. As if that wasn't enough, he asked them in turn to do the same for others "who choose to come out."

"I really appreciate all the support, and I hope you continue to support not only me, but other people who choose to come out," Lemon told afternoon Newsroom host Brooke Baldwin. In the past, Lemon has himself provided a podium for gay rights activists to makes themselves heard, though he claims objectivity on the issue.

(Video after the break.)

CNN Anchor Don Lemon Reveals He Is Gay In New Memoir
By Matt Hadro | May 16, 2011 | 2:00 PM EDT

CNN anchor Don Lemon has openly acknowledged that he is gay in his book "Transparent," set to be released June 16. He tweeted an article in the Sunday's New York Times about the book  late Sunday night, later thanking his followers for their outpouring of support in the wake of his revelation.

"I think it would be great if everybody could be out," he was quoted in the Times interview. "But it's such a personal choice....I do have to say that the more people who come out, the better it is for everyone, certainly for the Tyler Clementis of the world."

The Times also reported that CNN Newsroom and the Joy Behar Show will be hosting Lemon Monday to share his story. "He has been assured of support by CNN," the Times said of his planned appearances.
 

CNN Anchor: Are Conservatives Angry About Common's White House Appearance Because He's Black?
By Noel Sheppard | May 15, 2011 | 5:49 PM EDT

As NewsBusters has been reporting for months, Obama-loving media are busily depicting every criticism of the Administration as being racially motivated.

On Saturday, Don Lemon brought on a number of guests on "CNN Newsroom" to discuss how the recent controversy surrounding rapper Common's appearance at the White House is all because he's black (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Disgraced Ex-Priest on CNN: First Amendment Shouldn't Protect 'Hatred in the Public Forum'
By Matthew Balan | March 4, 2011 | 12:08 PM EST

Apparently, someone who broke his vows and trashed his former church is a worthy guest, in CNN's eyes, for a discussion on the Supreme Court, as on Thursday's Newsroom, anchor Don Lemon turned to "Padre Alberto" Cutie for his take on the Court's recent decision in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church. Cutie took issue with the ruling: "I don't think the First Amendment should protect hatred in the public forum, and I think that's where the law makes its biggest mistake....Nobody has the right in the 21st century to propagate hate."

Lemon brought on the Episcopalian pastor, along with CNN senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin and John Ellsworth of Military Families United, for a panel discussion segment 51 minutes into the 2 pm Eastern hour. After asking Ellsworth for his response to the Supreme Court ruling, the anchor raised Westboro's extreme beliefs with Cutie: "So Father, listen, do you consider Westboro- most people don't consider it a legitimate church, okay? But is this- aren't they saying the same thing that's reinforced by religion that's being preached from the pulpit in many churches on Sunday?"

CNN Touts Liberal's Film Targeting Supposed 'Ignorance Surrounding Islam'
By Matthew Balan | February 28, 2011 | 6:19 PM EST

On Monday's Newsroom, CNN's Don Lemon helped film director Qasim Basir promote his new film "Mooz-lum," which he hopes will "clear up some of this ignorance" about Muslims and their religion. Basir, whose last project "aimed at supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama," claimed that "in an average person's mind, who does not know anybody that's Muslim, it's like you see Muslim, you think terrorist."

Anchor Suzanne Malveaux introduced Lemon's segment, which ran 39 minutes into the 12 pm Eastern hour, as part of her network's "What Matters" series, which is a partnership with Essence magazine. Malveaux played up the film's "strong African-American cast and director," and stated that her colleague "sat down with the director Qasim Basir to talk about the movie, and the state of Muslims in America." An on-screen graphic signaled the primary focus of Lemon's interview: "Religion + Intolerance: Don Lemon, Qasim Bair discuss 'Mooz-lum.'"

Rick Santorum Smeared: An 'Oldie But Goodie'?
By Tim Graham | February 23, 2011 | 7:07 AM EST

If someone associated your last name with fecal matter, you probably wouldn't think it should be characterized as "an oldie but a goodie." That's just what CNN anchor Don Lemon said on Saturday night after Sen. Rick Santorum talked to the newspaper Roll Call about his "Google problem." Vile gay sex columnist Dan Savage -- a man CNN has presented as an "anti-bullying" hero -- has insured that anyone who Google searches for "Santorum" gets his name defined by fecal matter.

“It’s one guy. You know who it is. The Internet allows for this type of vulgarity to circulate. It’s unfortunate that we have someone who obviously has some issues. But he has an opportunity to speak,” Santorum told Roll Call. 

CNN's Don Lemon was speaking to Maureen O'Connor of the gossipy left-wing site Gawker (the same person who recently exposed the looking-for-adultery problem of GOP Rep. Christopher Lee of New York):