Petition in Support of Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Gets Over 250,000 Signatures
An online petition started in support of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson after he was suspended for expressing anti-gay views has garnered more than a quarter of a million signatures.
Found at the website "Faith Driven Consumer," the petition directed against A&E for suspending Robertson has past 252,000 names as of Friday morning.
"I am asking your network to immediately reinstate Mr. Robertson to 'Duck Dynasty,' and to formally apologize to him, his family, and the millions of viewers who tune in every week, stand by him, and share his worldview," reads the petition in part.
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"While the LGBT community may be offended by his opposing viewpoint, your rash, discriminatory, and unfair treatment toward Mr. Robertson - a recognized symbol of the faith community - is a slap in the face to Faith Driven Consumers and everyday Americans alike."
Earlier this month, the publication GQ posted online an interview with Robertson scheduled to be published in January.
In the interview, Robertson expressed his opposition to homosexual behavior, dubbing it a sin and "not logical," but also adding that it was not his job to judge.
"It seems like, to me, a vagina-as a man-would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical," said Robertson.
"We never, ever judge someone on who's going to heaven, hell. That's the Almighty's job. We just love 'em, give 'em the good news about Jesus-whether they're homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort 'em out later, you see what I'm saying?"
Robertson's remarks prompted outrage from LGBT groups that sought to have the reality TV star punished for criticizing homosexuality.
Eventually A&E, the cable channel that airs "Duck Dynasty," suspended Robertson over his remarks, expressing in a statement released earlier this month their disagreement with Robertson.
"We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series 'Duck Dynasty,'" said A&E.
Robertson's suspension, however, created a major backlash as many Americans demanded via social media and online petitions to have Robertson reinstated.
The Faith Driven Consumer petition became so popular on Twitter that for a brief time the social media accidentally marked "IstandwithPhil.com" as spam.
"The URL IStandWithPhil.com was mistakenly flagged as spam tonight, by an outside organization that tracks spam sources. We have restored access and apologize for the error," Twitter said in a statement earlier this week.
