Skip to main content
  • Online media
  • Tariffs
  • Jeanine Pirro
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Media Matters for America

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Media Matters for America

  • Nav
  • Search
  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives
  • Online media
  • Tariffs
  • Jeanine Pirro
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Hannity Mike Johnson

Fox News

Sean Hannity downplays Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's history of anti-LGBTQ activism in Fox News interview

Special Programs LGBTQ

Written by Helena Hind

Published 10/27/23 8:51 AM EDT

During a Fox News interview with newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Sean Hannity downplayed Johnson’s history of extreme anti-LGBTQ activism and defended Johnson’s efforts to ban classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Johnson previously served as senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, an extreme anti-LGBTQ legal group. During his tenure, Johnson repeatedly argued against a New Orleans effort to extend health insurance benefits to same-sex partners of municipal employees, insinuating that same-sex marriage eventually leads to “taboos” like pedophilia. Johnson also wrote a series of columns calling homosexuality “inherently unnatural,” a “dangerous lifestyle,” and a “bizarre choice,” while also claiming that marriage equality is a “dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic."

During the interview, Hannity asked Johnson to address his work with the ADF and provided him a chance to walk back his bigoted comments, saying: “Some of these comments were 15 years ago."

Johnson responded, “I don't even remember some of them” before affirming his allegiance to “the rule of law” and declaring himself “a Bible-believing Christian."

Hannity simply replied, “That’s your personal worldview."

Video file

Citation

From the October 26, 2023, edition of Fox News' Hannity 

Johnson has also advocated for anti-LGBTQ legislation at the federal level. In 2022, Johnson introduced the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, a federal version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law that sought to eliminate federal funding for libraries, schools, and other organizations that discussed aspects of gay and trans identities.

Hannity downplayed the harmful implications of Johnson’s Stop the Sexualization of Children Act and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, noting: “By the way, the word ‘gay’ was never in the Florida legislation.” He then prodded Johnson about whether his legislation would prohibit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity to public school students over the age of 10, to which Johnson replied, “No.” Johnson then argued that “moms and dads should be the ones responsible for talking about these sensitive issues with their children, not the public school system.”

Video file

Citation

From the October 26, 2023, edition of Fox News' Hannity

Hannity’s interview with Johnson comes on the heels of his failed campaign to elect Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as House speaker.

The Latest

  1. On MSNBC, Media Matters' Angelo Carusone explains right-wing media are “the real whip when it comes to counting votes” for Trump's “One, Big, Beautiful Bill”

    Video & Audio 05/23/25 12:17 PM EDT

  2. Media Matters weekly newsletter, May 23

    Narrative/Timeline 05/23/25 11:04 AM EDT

  3. Newsmax guest claims that “a lot” of the people who will be losing healthcare as a result of the GOP bill “aren't supposed to be getting federally-funded health care right now anyway”

    Video & Audio 05/23/25 10:54 AM EDT

  4. Ben Shapiro: “Many of the organizations that Donald Trump Jr. is connected to are making an enormous amount of money during this period of time when his father is president”

    Video & Audio 05/22/25 3:00 PM EDT

  5. Anti-abortion groups downplay the role of Georgia’s abortion ban in hospital keeping legally brain-dead pregnant woman on life support

    Article 05/22/25 2:50 PM EDT

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • …
  • Next page ››

In This Article

  • Sean Hannity

    Sean-Hannity-MMFA-Tag.png
  • Congress

    Congress
  • Alliance Defending Freedom

    Alliance-Defending-Freedom-MMFA-Tag.png
  • Fox News

    Fox-News-MMFA-Tag.png

Related

  1. On MSNBC, Media Matters' Angelo Carusone explains right-wing media are “the real whip when it comes to counting votes” for Trump's “One, Big, Beautiful Bill”

    Video & Audio 05/23/25 12:17 PM EDT

  2. Media Matters weekly newsletter, May 23

    Narrative/Timeline 05/23/25 11:04 AM EDT

  3. Contrary to right-wing media claims, the GOP's Medicaid cuts are for far more than “able-bodied men”

    Article 05/22/25 12:20 PM EDT

Media Matters for America

Sign up for email updates
  • About
  • Contact
  • Corrections
  • Submissions
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS

© 2025 Media Matters for America

RSS