Over on The TransAdvocate yesterday, Cristan Williams reported on a recent broadcast of the syndicated radio show Lex & Terry in which the hosts blatantly supported the murder of trans* people. The program is carried, among other places, by SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

After reading Cristan's excellent piece, I contacted SiriusXM for a statement on the situation. This led to a phone call with SiriusXM Senior VP Patrick Reilly, who has also been in touch with Cristan and other members of the LGBT media.



As it happens, the show in question isn't a production of SiriusXM, but rather is broadcast under a lease agreement with Clean Channel Communications. During our call, Mr. Reilly seemed legitimately distressed over the whole incident, or at least how it reflected on his company, and actively sought to distance his employer from Clear Channel, which has thus far not responded to my request for comment.

Of course, all Mr. Reilly's assurances of non-involvement aside, the disgusting and hateful message in question was broadcast by SiriusXM across the nation and beyond. It may be a bit much to ask the LGBT community simply overlook that unfortunate truth.

As of writing this post at 4am EST, SiriusXM has yet to post an official press release to their website distancing themselves from this disgraceful incident, and neither for that matter has Clear Channel Communication.

It is virtually impossible to imagine for one moment that had Lex & Terry glorified, or even endorsed the murder of gay people, rather than trans people, the whole situation wouldn't have evolved very differently. Not only would there have been far more coverage of this story in the LGBT media, it would almost certainly have been picked up by mainstream news outlets. There can be no doubt that more than two days after the incident, both Clear Channel and SiriusXM would have long since publicly disavowed the statements made on the show.