Controversial daytime talk show host Jerry Springer has denied that his program is in any way transphobic in an interview with The Huffington Post.
The former mayor of Cincinnati who was born in England in 1945 to German Jewish refugees from the Holocaust has been shocking audiences for more than 20 years. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Springer is a success who has been interviewing trans-gender people on his show for years.
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The problem that some in the LGBT community have had with Springer is how he presents the trans-genders on his program. Unlike Phil Donahue, who famously broke ground by being the first person to interview such people on television with what was always a respectful tone, Springer’s shows always seem to be sensationalistic and exploitive of the guests.
In fact, trans-gender people have been frequent guests on the program and a common subject for the show.
Now Springer has had something to say in response to his critics who feel that he is somehow anti-LGBT for what he does on the show.
In an interview with HuffPost Live host Josh Zepps, when asked if it was fair to describe his show as in any way insulting to trans-genders Springer said, “Not at all. We have transgender people all the time, a lot. In fact, there’s probably a lot more exposure on our show than anyplace else.”
“If the complaint is that sometimes the trans-gender people on our show aren’t behaving well anyone on our show doesn’t behave well. We here that from every community. You don’t get on our show unless you do something inappropriate so you can’t say that we are just putting one group in a bad light.”
Springer pointed out that he has always been a supporter of gay rights saying, “Back in 1977 I created gay rights day in Cincinnati. People went ballistic then. I don’t take a backseat to anyone in my support of the transgender or gay community.”
