In a Thursday NPR interview, CNN's openly-gay anchor Don Lemon lumped discrimination against gays and lesbians in with atrocities committed in Libya.
When asked why audiences should be interested in gay and lesbian issues, Lemon answered that "people are glued to what's happening in Libya, because it affects us. Any atrocity that's committed against one person affects us all and we are becoming more of one society, of a global society. "
Lemon was attending a four-day event by the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association, and was a keynote speaker there along with NBC's Ann Curry. He said of his attendance, "I think it's important for me to have a presence there and for me to actually walk in and own it and for all those journalists who are there, to say to them, like, not only that it's okay, but thank you for your support."
Lemon, who back in May revealed that he is gay, defended his objectivity as a reporter in covering LGBT stories.
"I think people question whether I should cover those issues and whether or not I'm going to be biased about those issues, and I think not," Lemon said, adding that his orientation "gives me a knowledge about those issues that many people don't have."
As NewsBusters has reported, Lemon has been ardently pro-gay in his coverage of gay and lesbian issues.
Lemon also conveyed that he would like to see more diversity in newsrooms everywhere. "I am proud of the diversity at my particular company," he said of CNN. "I think in the industry overall we could have more diversity."
For the full transcript of the NPR segment, click here.
