Rush Limbaugh said today that the media are refusing to identify former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been charged with child molestation, as gay, due to the influence of a powerful “gay lobby.” Last week, Limbaugh said discussing this “elephant in the room” would “end my career.”

A caller asked Limbaugh today about the “elephant in the room” that he had mentioned. The caller said that “we're always told that homosexuals are not pedophiles, but in this case, he sure was. And the same thing with Michael Jackson.” Limbaugh replied, “Nah, not pedophiles, but I do think it's the elephant in the room that is never -- it's not called a homosexual problem or scandal or -- see there -- and the reason, there's a very powerful political gay movement, and it's oriented towards supporting the Democrat Party.”

Limbaugh also said he didn't “want to be misunderstood.” He explained:

LIMBAUGH: Sandusky does not represent all of homosexuality, just like the priests in the Catholic Church don't represent all of homosexuality, just like the aberrant criminals in heterosexual society don't represent all heterosexuals. But because the gay lobby is very powerful, people don't go there. People don't address it, they don't talk about it, and as such, an element of the problem never gets dealt with.

Limbaugh asserted, apparently without any evidence whatsoever, that “Sandusky has to be -- he's a gay guy. Nobody's mentioning that aspect, because it's just too dangerous.”

Whether Sandusky is gay or not is totally immaterial. Experts say that men who molest young boys aren't necessarily gay, and there is no credible link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

Other conservative media figures have falsely connected the Sandusky case with homosexuality. Pat Buchanan somehow connected the case to “homosexual marriage,” and WorldNetDaily editor Joseph Farah blamed the scandal on tolerance of homosexuality.

From the November 18 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: Tim, in San Diego, we go back to the phones, and you're next. Great to have you with us, sir, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. I want to go quickly because I hope we'll have a few minutes at the end. I want to tell you my little theory that Apple products turn their users into liberals. But if I can --

LIMBAUGH: Ha! OK.

CALLER: I'd like to take a stab at the elephant in the room that you mentioned regarding Jerry Sandusky.

LIMBAUGH: Yeah, OK.

CALLER: I think that the thing that you said everybody's afraid to mention is that we're always told that homosexuals are not pedophiles, but in this case, he sure was. And the same thing with Michael Jackson. Now, is that what you had in mind?

LIMBAUGH: Nah, not pedophiles, but I do think it's the elephant in the room that is never -- it's not called a homosexual problem or scandal or -- see there -- and the reason, there's a very powerful political gay movement, and it's oriented towards supporting the Democrat Party. Not every -- just like in every segment of society, not every gay person is a predator, just like not every man is a predator, like the feminists tried to say. Every group of people has its own bad actors.

But because the political aspects of homosexuality, which -- they've got a very powerful lobby and they're liberal and they support the Democrat Party, they succeed in stifling conversation about it. And so you don't dare mention it. People don't mention it. They don't want -- it's like not mentioning, showing cartoons of Muslims. Just don't go there because they wreak havoc on you, and it's the path of least resistance.

But yeah. It's not so much pedophilia, although that's what this is. But it's that Sandusky has to be -- he's a gay guy. Nobody's mentioning that aspect, because it's just too dangerous. And the reason why is because of the power of the gay lobby, which is very leftist.

But I don't want to be misunderstood. Sandusky does not represent all of homosexuality, just like the priests in the Catholic Church don't represent all of homosexuality, just like the aberrant criminals in heterosexual society don't represent all heterosexuals. But because the gay lobby is very powerful, people don't go there. People don't address it, they don't talk about it, and as such, an element of the problem never gets dealt with. That's my only point.

CALLER: No, I agree, and what you're saying is that it's a small percentage. Although if it turns out that if Sandusky was pimping out children to big-money donors, you have a whole ring of gay pedophiles. But that doesn't fit the template.

LIMBAUGH: Well, there are people alleging that. But I haven't seen it alleged officially. I've seen it alleged by some journalists. That's not part of the grand jury report, is it?

CALLER: No, that wasn't even brought up --

LIMBAUGH: I don't think it is. But there are some people alleging that Sandusky was pimping them out to donors, to big-time Penn State donors. That is a story that's out there. Now, you're -- I haven't mentioned it because -- you just did, but I haven't because it comes from fringe elements of media.

In the next segment, Limbaugh said “a lot of people on both sides of this are trying to cover up the gorilla in the room for fear of what it says”:

LIMBAUGH: Now, there's this elephant-in-the-room business with Penn State and about our recent caller. Some people in the media are trying to turn this around, and what they're saying is that the homosexual aspect of Sandusky was covered up because otherwise, people would have to admit that a football coach was gay, and that won't do. You know, can't have that. Can't have that big macho football department at Penn State being -- so that -- cover it up. In other words, the point is that a lot of people on both sides of this are trying to cover up the gorilla in the room for fear of what it says.

So, in other words, if it weren't because of our homosexual bias, all of this would have been reported and stopped earlier. This is what some people are saying, is that, “You know, Sandusky would have been shut down years ago” if it weren't because of our homosexual bias. There's all kinds of talk about this, but it's whispered -- buzzbuzzbuzzbuzz. And that's because it'll bring politics into it from the left.

Gay lobby, very liberal and very politically active and connected. It's one of those things that frightens a lot of people.

Here is Limbaugh on his November 8 show saying that discussing this subject would “end my career” (at about 2:00):