On the March 20 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage discussed a San Francisco Chronicle report detailing the murder of a transgender woman whose body was found naked near a freeway outside San Francisco. Savage read a sentence from the article stating that “it appeared the victim had been in the process of becoming a woman,” to which Savage replied: “Yeah, process of becoming a woman -- psychopath. [She] should have been in a back ward in a straitjacket for years, howling on major medication.” He went on to say, “And what's this sympathy, constant sympathy for sexually confused people? Why should we have constant sympathy for people who are freaks in every society?” adding, “But you know what? You're never gonna make me respect the freak. I don't want to respect the freak.” Savage concluded: “The freak ought to be glad that they're allowed to walk around without begging for something. You know, I'm sick and tired of the whole country begging, bending over backwards for the junkie, the freak, the pervert, the illegal immigrant. All of them are better than everybody else. Sick. Everything is upside down.”
As Media Matters for America has documented (here, here, and here), Savage has a history of hateful attacks on gays and lesbians. He has repeatedly referred to “the homosexual mafia,” claimed that “the homosexual dance of death” is the “seminal issue of our time,” and compared gays to “drug addicts.” As Media Matters has also noted, Savage was signed by Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for “representation in all areas” -- including television and film -- but was reportedly dropped after Media Matters documented his comments attacking singer and CAA client Melissa Etheridge for thanking her wife during her Academy Awards acceptance speech.
The Savage Nation reaches more than 8 million listeners each week, according to Talkers Magazine, making it the third-most-listened-to talk radio show in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show.
From the March 20 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:
SAVAGE: “San Francisco police are trying to determine whether the slaying of a transgender victim found naked near the Interstate 280 freeway is somehow linked to reports of a nude woman seen walking on the same freeway two hours later, authorities said. ... [San Francisco police inspector Karen] Lynch said it appeared the victim had been in the process of becoming a woman.” Yeah, process of becoming a woman -- psychopath, should have been in a back ward in a straitjacket for years, howling on major medication.
[...]
SAVAGE: And then they go into “she said transgender victims” going on and on “extremely violent” going on and on “are frequently left partially clothed or completely nude, it's making a statement and humiliating the victim,” blah-blah-blah. I am so beyond fed up with freaks. I live in freak city. You know, I don't mind freaks. I used to go to Ringling Brothers when I was a little kid, and the freak show was my favorite part of the circus. I didn't go there to mock them. I liked to see the one-breasted man. I liked to see the mustached woman.
But when I wake up as an adult and I find out that they're actually all Democrats today, passing themselves off as normal, I'm sorry, someone's gotta say this is a freak show, time out. And what's this sympathy, constant sympathy for sexually confused people? Why should we have constant sympathy for people who are freaks in every society? I didn't say hurt the freaks. I didn't say do anything to the freaks.
But you know what? You're never gonna make me respect the freak. I don't want to respect the freak. The freak ought to be glad that they're allowed to walk around without begging for something. You know, I'm sick and tired of the whole country begging, bending over backwards for the junkie, the freak, the pervert, the illegal immigrant. All of them are better than everybody else. Sick. Everything is upside down.