On Tuesday, we reported that David Benham, an anti-gay, anti-choice, anti-Muslim activist, had landed a house-flipping show on HGTV. Benham is someone who had been on our radar: he was featured on Right Wing Watch 2012, when he organized and funded an anti-gay prayer rally to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
The day after our report went up, HGTV announced without comment that it was dropping the show, which was to be hosted by Benham and his twin brother Jason.
Since our first story came out, many other examples of the brothers’ right-wing activism have surfaced. Back in 2004, the Benham brothers encouraged Charlotte [PDF] to deny a permit to an LGBT Pride event, with David insisting that the parade’s “filth” and “destructive,” “vile” activity “should not be allowed in our city.” Jeremy Hooper first reported on their remarks:
David Benham, 6130 Ferncliff Road, said I would agree 100% that this type of activity is destructive, and a tragedy. If you will look in your packet you will see one of the shems, his name was Steve the Drag Queen. He described some of the acts he witnessed and feels the Council has had the wool pulled over their eyes because the permit says for celebration and fellowship for the lesbian, gay bisexual transgender community. I saw first hand what celebration and fellowship was all about. This is filth, this is vile and should not be allowed in our City. I have a one-year old, a three-year old and a five-year old and I want them to grow up in a city that will honor the folks that are in it.
Jason Benham, 761 Harris Street, Concord, said I have a 6-month old daughter and a 2 ½ year old little boy and when I stood out there in Marshall Park and heard the comedian say I am an out lesbian, I love 4-year old girls and I call them "dykes on triks, they are hard to come by but, boy are they good." I stood out there crying in my heart that only 40 or 50 of us Christian men went out there to try to give these homosexuals another answer. We were not there to bash them, we were there to tell them that Jesus loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. They have a right to apply for this permit, but you have a right and responsibility to deny it. I employ you not to be governed by the fear in which you feel. If you deny them this permit you will open a can of worms but you in your leadership position have to take that responsibility and you have to not allow the fear of making this homosexual community mad. You have to accept that responsibility and deny them every permit that they ask for.
David Benham also falsely claimed during an interview with CNN’s OutFront yesterday that he never compared gay rights advocates to Nazis, although he did exactly that in this article:
In terms of Ken’s take on Referendum 74 (same sex marriage vote), if evil is being accepted and appreciated at the national level, aggressive Christian men must lead the charge against it. In the late 1940′s England realized this truth with Neville Chamberlain’s Policy of Appeasement and the Nazi regime. Chamberlain thought he could somehow “appease” the fuehrer, yet Winston Churchill aggressively stood against this policy and proclaimed that they must kill Hitler and destroy the regime in its entirety. It wasn’t long before Chamberlain’s “politically correct” policy fell flat on its face, and Churchill – the more aggressive man – took the reins and joined America in defeating the beast called, Naziism [sic].
David also alleged in a 2012 interview with anti-gay activist Michael Brown that the “homosexual agenda” —along with Islam and abortion rights — are part of “demonic forces and agendas.”
In an interview with Janet Mefferd about his Democratic National Convention prayer rally, he said that “homosexuality and its agenda” are “attacking the nation.”
You can find additional public statements Benham has made about homosexuality, Islam and abortion rights in our previous reports.
