The war over Dr. Laura

The fact that his Dr. Laura boycott has galvanized the religious right doesn't bother Aravosis, its sponsor. He's not convinced that, as free-speech defenders claim, the best antiseptic for Dr. Laura's anti-gay views is fresh air. He's incensed that mainstream media interviewers have mostly given her a pass when it comes to the issue. "She was on the 'Today Show' and 'Larry King Live,'" Aravosis says. "Did either Katie Couric or Larry King ask her about it? No."

During his interview with Schlessinger on May 2, King gave her the typical friendly treatment (King: "You're not against gays having jobs or the right to visit each other in the hospital?" Dr. Laura: "Against civil rights? Of course not.") The next day, Couric didn't even bring up the controversy with gays, though she did launch into her own mini-rant, challenging Dr. Laura's belief on single-parenthood and working moms (generally speaking, both no-nos to the radio host).

"Can you make these rash generalizations?" Couric asked. "I mean, aren't there crummy stay-at-home moms and aren't there crummy working moms? ... And what about giving children a role model of a mother or father that's making a real contribution to society so they can say, 'Wow, you know, I'm proud of my parent for being a social worker ...' Is there something to be said for that and role modeling for children in that way?"

According to a source at "Today," "Dr. Laura put no limits on the interview, and I know there were some tougher questions in there about [her views on homosexuality]. But Katie" -- a single career mom -- "had questions she wanted to pursue for her own personal reasons."

"There are a lot of people who have a reason to feel attacked by that woman," says the "Today" source.

And yet, despite their recent alliance, Dr. Laura and the Christian right are strange bedfellows. The Family Research Council's Robert Knight, senior adviser on cultural studies, still recalls the period when, as he says, "Dr. Laura was pro-gay."

Knight and other conservative Christians admit they've never been comfortable with Dr. Laura's famous reference to homosexuality as a "biological error." While gays don't like being called an "error," the reference to biology suggests people are born gay, which most conservative Christian leaders dispute. "Once, she didn't think homosexuals can change, and now she does," Knight says.

Dr. Laura hasn't exactly backtracked from her "biological error" statement, according to Bellows. "She thinks it's possible that some people are gay from environmental factors, too," Bellows says. "But she doesn't know, she's not an expert on homosexuality."

At this point, nothing Schlessinger says can appease both her accusers and her defenders, so she seems to have decided to take a safer path: silence. Even Bellows admits the controversy might have muted the talk show's usual discourse on homosexuality lately. "I don't know if she's avoided it, really, but she doesn't really want to get into [the controversy] any more, either."

That's not going to stop her advocates from turning it into a full-fledged campaign. Focus on the Family's Minnery says that the "train has already left the station," as far as Christian conservatives are concerned, and that they would continue to defend Dr. Laura and attack advertisers who advertise on shows they deem as anti-family.

And her critics have no plans to abandon their successful protest movement. "We didn't start this. She started this," says Aravosis, who says he and his partners are now considering offers of funding for their volunteer Web site. "The only way it's going to end is if she wants forgiveness, but she needs to first seek forgiveness." That's a little tough to picture.

Besides, why should she? While controversy might have fortified her enemies, it's done nothing but build the Dr. Laura brand, which, in the end, will likely give her the last laugh. Unlike Canada did this spring, no U.S. government regulatory agency is going to label her show "abusively discriminatory" and order stations to censor her when necessary. By summer's end, some radio analysts believe, her talk-show audience will eclipse the industry's giant, Rush Limbaugh.

"From a purely mercenary perspective, she's at the top of her game," says Michael Harrison, editor of Talkers magazine, the industry's bible. "As long as they spell her name right, she's going to be just fine."

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