News Flash: Worst of the Anti-Gay 1980s finally fading away: Dobson, Wildmon step down

According Metro Weekly:



''Donald E. Wildmon, chairman of American Family Association (AFA) for more than 30 years, has resigned as chairman of the board for the national ministry. The resignation comes following several months of hospitalization. A bite from a mosquito carrying the St. Louis encephalitis virus caused Wildmon's illness.''

Press release from the extremely anti-gay American Family Association on the final retirement of it's ailing founder, Donald E. Wildmon. (AFA)

''Dobson is leaving, he says, because organizations that are founded by charismatic leaders often make the mistake of keeping those leaders around for way too long. And so once that leader exits the scene - and Dobson himself now is approaching his mid-70s - the organization undergoes an identity crisis and, in some cases, is hard pressed to survive.... He's joining his son to host a new radio show that's going to be called James Dobson on the Family. You know, it's anticipated that this will be competitive with Focus on the Family's current radio programming.''
Dan Gilgoff of CNN discussing the founder of Focus on the Family, James Dobson, who will be stepping down from his post at that anti-gay broadcast organization. Unfortunately, he is not going away entirely, as Gilgoff notes. (NPR)

The weakening of Dobson and the removal of Wildmon comes as welcome news for most middle-aged and older gay right supporters who had to deal for years with their fountain of gay-hating broadcasts and media blasts. They were part of a larger coordinated effort by so-called "Christian conservatives" whose careers climaxed in the Regan-Bush era, as they smothered the United States with their politics of "family values." Their inevitable demise follows the deaths of preacher Jerry Falwell and Senator Jesse Helms, all of which continues the closing of a chapter of vicious political attacks against LGBT Americans. But several of Dobson and Wildmon's other aging comrades still continue to pump out their gay bashing vitriol. Pat Robertson, for instance, continues broadcasting anti-gay "personal stories," such as a recently aired 700 Club video in which he featured an ex-gay male who claimed to have left the "down-low" lifestyle. And in some cases, the children of these demagogues carry on with their parents' questionable legacies. There's Ryan Dobson (as mentioned above), Gordon Robertson at CBN, Tim Wildmon at AFA, and Andy Schlafly with his Conservapedia.

Here's a brief roundup of the worst offenders from the 1980s (via Wikipedia):
William Dannemeyer, 81 - board of director for William Donohue's Catholic League.
James Dobson, 74 - retiring from Focus on the Family, moving to new radio show.
Jerry Falwell , Deceased 2007.
Jesse Helms , Deceased 2008.
Pat Robertson, 80 - Still actively broadcasting on 700 Club.
Lou Sheldon, 76 - Still listed as active with the Tradition Values Coalition.
Phyllis Schafly, 86 - Still listed as active with the Eagle Forum.
Donald Wildmon, 72 - Retiring from American Family Association.