Steve Yuhas
Encyclopedia
Steve Yuhas is a conservative radio personality in southern California. He is a frequent guest on radio and television programs and contributes to a myriad of newspapers and magazines with his unique style of conservative analysis. The Steve Yuhas Show airs on News Radio 600 KOGO. The moniker of the program produced by Clear Channel Communications is 'Uniquely Conservative Talk Radio' and is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
and Marine Corps
. He is a Lifetime Member of the Disabled American Veterans
, the American Legion
and the Paralyzed Veterans of America
. He is a strong supporter of veterans issues and is a spokesman for Homefront San Diego, an all-volunteer organization that helps lower enlisted men and women serving in the United States military who need assistance with everything from baby items to vehicles and grants for necessities. Yuhas is also listed as a member of the San Diego Veterans Coalition - an organization that assists veterans integrate back into the professional and business communities in southern California.
According to Yuhas' DD214 (as well as several DD215's - administrative corrections to the DD214) filed with Los Angeles County and examined by the Los Angeles Times
celebrity reporter Denise Martin, Yuhas served first with the United States Army and transferred to the United States Marine Corps. He was medically discharged after an injury from the USMC in 1998 after serving 7 years, 8 months and 23 days on active duty. He served overseas for 3 years and 4 months; Yuhas spent 1 year and 4 months on sea service and in two combat zones.
He entered the military in Los Angeles, CA with a home of record in Malibu, Calif. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal
, the Army Commendation Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, two Good Conduct Medals, the Air Assault Badge
and other awards including the Combat Medical Badge
and the Expert Field Medical Badge
. His last duty station was Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
, a large Marine Corps installation about 50 miles north of San Diego, CA.
In late 2000 Yuhas appeared on several national and international television programs to discuss California's Proposition 22 - an anti-gay marriage law. During an appearance on Larry King Live
, Yuhas said that his support for the measure was not because it was about being gay, but because it is the right of the people in a state to decide important issues such as who should be married. Since August 2000 Yuhas made more than fifty media appearances to defend his opposition to gay marriage. In November 2008 California voters amended their constitution by passing Proposition 8, a ballot measure that defined marriage in the California Constitution as a "union of one man and one woman" and he was again the target of advertiser boycotts by members of the LGBT
community.
His argument against gay marriage rests with two facets: first is his opposition to a "legislative judiciary" that makes law and does not simply interpret; the second is his theological/historical argument against gay marriage in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Yuhas says he is a "strict constructionist" with regard to issues of law and the United States Constitution
. He agrees with United States Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas
and Antonin Scalia
. Further, on his radio program and during television appearances he supported the nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts
and Justice Samuel Alito
(both appointed by George W. Bush
). A careful review of Yuhas' writings, statements, and public appearances indicate no extreme view on his rationale of marriage, but one comment he made still draws the ire of the LGBT community: "If gays believe that the line between gay marriage and heterosexual marriage is arbitrary and baseless, why then should there be any line at all? Either society has a right to set limits and standards on marriage or it doesn't. I think it does, and I think that the line should be drawn where it always has been: and that is to say that marriage is a heterosexual institution."
In 2008 the California Supreme Court declared Proposition 22 unconstitutional. Following that decision the people of California passed Proposition 8
which was upheld by the California Supreme Court. In November 2008 Yuhas lent his name and financial support to anti-marriage forces and is listed as a contributor to the Yes on 8 campaign in the amount of $27,500. Yuhas made public claims not to have given any money to the Prop 8 campaign and after a careful search of records, there is no evidence that he did. Some argue his contributions came though other contributions to political action committees (PACs), but Yuhas denies even these claims. Given the amount of money he gave to political causes since 2003, almost $53,500 Open Secrets mostly to Republicans and conservative PACs, it is almost certain that some of his money made it into the pro-heterosexual marriage campaign.
Yuhas openly rejects the civil rights argument of gay and lesbian people and embraces the social conservative viewpoint that marriage should continue to be between a man and a woman arguing that you cannot compare being gay to being black or Hispanic. "If you have to go out of your way and tell people that you are gay or somebody thinks that you're feminine or whatever, well, I'm sorry, that's not the same as being a black guy who has to face the horrors of racism every day of his life in some places." He goes further by saying that LGBT individuals cannot be compared to the African American civil rights struggle because being black is "immutable," but you cannot look at a person and know they are gay. He has been berated by gay advocacy groups for saying things like that and even had to fend off a formal Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) complaint for using alleged homophobic slurs over the public airwaves. The latter complaint was because Yuhas has a sometimes-segment on his program called the "Extraordinary Gay Update" and he reads directly from gay newspapers and magazines and urges gay people not to use words that "we demand others purge from their vocabulary" as we use the words about ourselves.
On his program on October 4, 2009 he was accused of being a "shill for Israel" and a blogger wrote that Yuhas' frequent guests of Israeli officials, makes him unable to be objective on the issue. Yuhas responded by telling the listener that he does not portend to be objective and has a "vested interest" in the survival of the Israeli state. Yuhas' other guests have included conservatives such as Ann Coulter (a person Yuhas was pictured with in West Hollywood in summer 2009), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) - there is no record of her appearing on any other program on KOGO 600 AM, the former Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, Defense and the President of Serbia and the newly recognized Kosovo. Just when some try to "pin Yuhas down" to a political position as biased, it is difficult to do because he is an equal opportunity pundit. Being able to obtain interviews with liberal and conservative individuals and groups certainly bode well for claims by Yuhas that he is an "independent conservative" and not a simply a Republican
. Yuhas said on his program and in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal that he votes for the "best candidate" and supported Hillary Clinton during the 2008 presidential election.
After winning the Iowa Straw Poll in 2011 Yuhas told his radio audience that he gave a political contribution to Michele Bachmann, despite her open hostility to the LGBT community and her husband's role in "curing" LGBT people through his health clinic. When pressed by a caller for his choice for the GOP nomination to oppose President Barack Obama in 2012, Yuhas said, "So long as the GOP nominates somebody that can beat President Obama, I'm good."
, known as a SLAPP motion, forcing Rood into a position of fighting for his reputation in this case. A legal fund is available to assist Mr. Rood by contacting his attorney. Both men are gay, but Yuhas' homophobic and draconian manner of litigation is drowning Rood in legal bills and true to their reputations as power lawyers the attorneys at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton have filed ten times the number of motions as Rood. Yuhas refuses all requests for media interviews in this case and hides behind his attorneys.
In December 2009 San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith F. Hayes rules in favor of Yuhas - denying Rood the right to present his evidence at trial to an unbiased jury. Rood is appealing the decision on Constitutional grounds that Yuhas's speech was not protected and included an invasion of privacy, was not protected by the California or U.S. Constitution under any rule. The case is expected to be heard in 2012. Yuhas's lawyers asked for nearly $250,000 in legal fees from Rood for a case that spanned a year and a half and only included motions hearings and other costs that amount to far less. To date no award against Rood has been entered.San DIego Superior Court actions.
On June 3, 2011, a unanimous panel for the California Court of Appeal in San Diego rejected arguments from Rood that Yuhas's commentary was libelous or slander and effectively shielded Yuhas from any responsibility over the false report. Writing in the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, Aaron Mackey wrote, that the Appeals Court, "(R)ejected arguments from the former principal that the commentator’s report on the audit conducted by school officials did not qualify for a state law that protects journalists who report on government proceedings." Guylyn Cummins, one of Yuhas's many attorneys in the matter said in the article that the costly, unfair SLAPP motion Yuhas sprung on Rood said the decision "Demonstrates why privileges are important to journalists and why the anti-SLAPP statute is important to journalists." Rood will appeal to the Supreme Court and Yuhas and his attorneys are actively seeking the attorney fees and costs awarded by both the lower court and the Appeals court that total over $300,000 - sufficient to push Rood into bankruptcy. The decision set an important precedent for radio talk show commentators by granting them the same protections to shield sources and to respond to lawsuits as a journalist working a beat.
. For Yuhas, the issue was that over the behavior of Holloway's parents and the fact that so many media personalities decided that three young men were guilty before they were charged. Yuhas wrote a series of articles, but a few stood out and drew the ire of some media outlets in the South and Yuhas was asked again to appear locally, nationally and internationally over the topic. In the newspaper El Diario La Prensa
, Yuhas wrote (translated to English - uncorrected syntax): "Beth Twitty comes across to the people of Alabama as a sympathetic character, and she is because she can’t find her daughter, but to much of America and the world she is an abrasive and rude woman whose disdain for the people of Aruba overshadows the goodwill that was initially shown to her in the opening days of this soap opera. Her following people around with television cameras in tow in order to confront people that she suspects had something to do with her daughters demise has become fodder for virtually everyone not within 500 miles of Mountain Brook, Alabama."
During an appearance on ABC, Yuhas was being interviewed about a column he wrote when one of the chaperones during the Alabama trip called into the program (Bob Plummer) - at first the debate was civil, but when Plummer found out that Yuhas was gay, he hung up his phone and said that Yuhas being gay made his participation unnecessary.
Yuhas is featured in The Unrevealed Time Lies, a documentary film by award winning Dutch filmmaker, Renée Gielen. The documentary was released in Holland in July 2008 and in the United States in September 2008. Yuhas is not alone in this documentary as Natalee Holloway's father agreed to an interview as did justice ministers, former investigators and friends of the Holloway and Twitty family. The feature will be shown on American television and a preview was released that features Yuhas' participation and that of the others. The trailer for the film allegedly shows compelling evidence that Beth Twitty arrived in Aruba before Holloway went missing.
Many news organizations picked up Yuhas' comments and columns about Natalee Holloway. A few of them were offensive to people who knew her and entire threads of message boards were dedicated to slamming Yuhas' opinion. Most recently Yuhas wrote about the search funds and the multiple arrests of the same suspects. and being followed in Alabama - his appearances about Natalee Holloway's disappearance became international. On Rita Cosby's program on MSNBC Yuhas was scolded by another talk show host after he refused to endorse a boycott of Aruba.
After former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey came out of the closet in a televised confession after he was targeted for blackmail by his former lover, Yuhas wrote a column for the San Francisco Chronicle
called "Political Lies and Personal Lives". In the article Yuhas claims that McGreevey's "self-serving coming-out news conference" and showed surprise and anger that gay organizations stood behind the nation's first openly gay governor. In January of the following year, McGreevey appeared on Yuhas' show when he was in Los Angeles for a book tour. The program was one of the highest rated and the former Governor was scheduled for 20 minutes and ended up staying an entire hour.
On his radio show on January 25, 2009, Yuhas stated that actions by the George W. Bush administration that had caused more people to support terrorism were okay because it would create more people for the United States to kill.
During his radio show on May 19, 2009, Yuhas demanded that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger be recalled after the failure of all of the ballot measures that cost the state $35 million during a year with a $20 billion deficit.
On his radio show on July 12, 2009, Yuhas had a guest on named Eyal Feldman, the founder of an adult product company that Yuhas called a friend. Feldman owns Boy Butter Lubes and he blogged about the radio show and is pictured with Yuhas on the adult product's website. During the "debate" about gay pride parades, Yuhas said he believed that gay people can "pray their way" out of homosexuality.
Yuhas was on the air when the landmark health care bill was passed into law by the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010. During that show, Yuhas spent four hours arguing against the power and authority of the federal government and got callers to call for open rebellion on the government. When asked by a caller if he favored people not having medical care he said that the medical care of other people is not a federal issue, but refuses to comment further and hangs up on callers that challenge him.
after he was fired for being too conservative from a gay newspaper. The paper eventually folded, but his firing put him on a course to launch his mainstream career. He wrote an opinion piece for the San Diego Union-Tribune that ran during the San Diego gay pride festivities and it brought out the ire of many in the gay community. An Odd Way to Bring Gays into the Mainstream was printed in the middle of the parade and festival and the reaction was almost instantaneous. Gay activists were offended, but many gays signed on to Yuhas' logic that if you want to be taken seriously that you have to fight the urge to appear on the fringe.
Yuhas has written many articles and commentary on the issue of being a gay conservative. He is opposed to issues that many gay people consider central to being homosexual: he believes that marriage is a 'uniquely heterosexual institution' and that adoption for gay couples is something that is not good for children because he believes that children need a mother and a father - he clarified on the CBS Early Show that children need a mother and a father (gay or straight) and is opposed to single person adoption as well.
Though he is considered out of the mainstream for political gay thought, Yuhas is featured as a "queer" columnist on the website Lavender But Not Pink and other gay websites where his brand of political thinking would have been considered taboo just a few years ago. Yuhas has stated publicly that it is quickly becoming more and more 'ok' to be a conservative thinker and gay and the Internet has allowed an explosion of conservative gay thinkers to be able to reach people quickly. An article in the The Washington Blade
says that Yuhas "is one of the most well known gay political thinkers - even if his thinking is backwards."
Beginning in 2005 Yuhas began appearing on red carpet events and awards shows. He was also photographed at many charity and political events. Although he does not talk about his giving publicly and despite the fact that some have assigned him the moniker "self-hating gay" or "homophobe", he continues to live a "normal" life in up-and-coming Hollywood. In a strange irony his quest for privacy was disrupted when in February 2008 he was photographed at The Ivy
in Los Angeles with his brother.
When Yuhas showed his support for the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and it was known that he had a gay Marine boyfriend (they are no longer together) a "reward" for a photo of the two together was offered by a gay gossip website. One of the many paparazzi stationed outside most popular West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Hollywood hot spots got the picture and it appeared the following day on the celebrity blog Perez Hilton
, someone known for his "outing" of celebrities and "breaking" other celebrity gossip. That picture was removed, but not after it was picked up by other "news" outlets. The photo featured vulgar pictures drawn on it and posted to show Yuhas and the person he was eating with as being lovers when, in fact, they were brothers.
His desire for privacy is what he calls a "delicate balance." He lives behind the gates of two gated communities, both with guard houses. A restraining order is on record for at least three people in southern CA for stalking: two in Los Angeles and another in San Diego. Yuhas told his radio audience that he owned a Desert Eagle
handgun and that "he knew how to use it." The weapon is manufactured by an Israeli company that is being considered for being banned as an assault weapon. Yuhas said that he would not hesitate to use the weapon to defend himself or his property and sends the signal almost daring someone to attempt something for his own amusement.
In fall 2010 Yuhas and KOGO, the Clear Channel affiliate in San Diego, were among the co-sponsors of an event called HOMOCON for the conservative gay group GOProud
. The event was held in New York City at the apartment of billionaire financier Peter Thiel
and featured Ann Coulter
as the so-called "right wing Judy Garland" speaking on issues of the day. The event shouldn't have been controversial, but World Net Daily's publisher, Joseph Farah, took it as a cause celeb and declared Coulter's decision to speak at the event inconsistent with her values as a Christian. Farah appeared on a number of gay talk programs (Yuhas being the only non-satellite show available to him) to explain his objections. Yuhas was not convinced and said it was "foolish, borderline childish... I think he just likes the publicity."
as the most prolific political contributor to the Republican Party in the media today.
Yuhas is also in attendance at many charity events including cancer research and he has asked his listeners to donate to PanCAN
- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. It is unclear why he took up the passion for this particular cancer, but he has both written about it and talked about it publicly on his radio program on KOGO. Yuhas embraced a number of charitable causes on his radio program and recently began advocating for another group, Homefront San Diego, an organization to assist low ranking members of the military obtain money, cars, food and shelter in the event they cannot afford it.
His salary is up for discussion, but it was reported on KCBQ in October 2008 to range from $400–700k for talent and upwards of $800k for advertising. KCBQ also lists his website in the top 10 for CA based radio talk programs at Townhall, the largest conservative website in America.
Whatever his earnings, Yuhas has been shown driving at least four luxury cars and a blog posting at the Union-Tribune claims that Yuhas is "making his living bashing GLBT people" after he was photographed arriving at a San Diego restaurant in a Maserati Quattroporte
. His home is pictured in the Rancho Santa Fe News with a CL63 AMG Mercedes, a Range Rover and a Mercedes GL SUV. All told Yuhas' car collection alone was valued in the newspaper at approximately $450,000.
Biography
Yuhas was honorably discharged from the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. He is a Lifetime Member of the Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
, the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
and the Paralyzed Veterans of America
Paralyzed Veterans of America
The Paralyzed Veterans of America is a veterans' service organization in the United States of America, founded in 1946. The organization holds 34 chapters and 61 National Service Offices in the United States...
. He is a strong supporter of veterans issues and is a spokesman for Homefront San Diego, an all-volunteer organization that helps lower enlisted men and women serving in the United States military who need assistance with everything from baby items to vehicles and grants for necessities. Yuhas is also listed as a member of the San Diego Veterans Coalition - an organization that assists veterans integrate back into the professional and business communities in southern California.
According to Yuhas' DD214 (as well as several DD215's - administrative corrections to the DD214) filed with Los Angeles County and examined by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
celebrity reporter Denise Martin, Yuhas served first with the United States Army and transferred to the United States Marine Corps. He was medically discharged after an injury from the USMC in 1998 after serving 7 years, 8 months and 23 days on active duty. He served overseas for 3 years and 4 months; Yuhas spent 1 year and 4 months on sea service and in two combat zones.
He entered the military in Los Angeles, CA with a home of record in Malibu, Calif. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
, the Army Commendation Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, two Good Conduct Medals, the Air Assault Badge
Air Assault Badge
The Air Assault Badge, pictured to the right, is awarded by the U.S. Army for successful completion of the Air Assault School, a two-week course. The course includes three phases of instruction involving U.S. Army rotary wing aircraft: combat air assault operations; rigging and slingload...
and other awards including the Combat Medical Badge
Combat Medical Badge
The Combat Medical Badge is an award of the United States Army which was first created in January 1945. The badge is awarded to any member of the Army Medical Department, at the rank of Colonel or below, who are assigned or attached to a medical unit which provides medical support to a ground...
and the Expert Field Medical Badge
Expert Field Medical Badge
The Expert Field Medical Badge is a United States Army decoration first created on June 18, 1965. This badge is the non-combat equivalent of the Combat Medical Badge and is awarded to medical personnel of the US Military who successfully complete a set of qualification tests including both written...
. His last duty station was Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base...
, a large Marine Corps installation about 50 miles north of San Diego, CA.
Political and social positions
Yuhas' moniker of "unique" in his radio program title would not be necessary but for one important issue: he is openly gay. Despite being open with his sexual orientation, Yuhas receives criticism from people on the right who claim you cannot be a true conservative if you are gay, he rejects that contention, and he receives criticism from the left who argue that his positions are inconsistent with being gay. He explains that his being gay is, "such a small part of who I am that it doesn't dawn on me to consult my boyfriend on advice about national security, abortion or any other issue." He told his audience in August 2011, "It seems to me the only people who seem to think you can't be gay and conservative are liberals."In late 2000 Yuhas appeared on several national and international television programs to discuss California's Proposition 22 - an anti-gay marriage law. During an appearance on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, Yuhas said that his support for the measure was not because it was about being gay, but because it is the right of the people in a state to decide important issues such as who should be married. Since August 2000 Yuhas made more than fifty media appearances to defend his opposition to gay marriage. In November 2008 California voters amended their constitution by passing Proposition 8, a ballot measure that defined marriage in the California Constitution as a "union of one man and one woman" and he was again the target of advertiser boycotts by members of the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community.
His argument against gay marriage rests with two facets: first is his opposition to a "legislative judiciary" that makes law and does not simply interpret; the second is his theological/historical argument against gay marriage in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Yuhas says he is a "strict constructionist" with regard to issues of law and the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. He agrees with United States Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
and Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
. Further, on his radio program and during television appearances he supported the nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts, Jr. is the 17th and current Chief Justice of the United States. He has served since 2005, having been nominated by President George W. Bush after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist...
and Justice Samuel Alito
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the court since January 31, 2006....
(both appointed by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
). A careful review of Yuhas' writings, statements, and public appearances indicate no extreme view on his rationale of marriage, but one comment he made still draws the ire of the LGBT community: "If gays believe that the line between gay marriage and heterosexual marriage is arbitrary and baseless, why then should there be any line at all? Either society has a right to set limits and standards on marriage or it doesn't. I think it does, and I think that the line should be drawn where it always has been: and that is to say that marriage is a heterosexual institution."
In 2008 the California Supreme Court declared Proposition 22 unconstitutional. Following that decision the people of California passed Proposition 8
California Proposition 8 (2008)
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
which was upheld by the California Supreme Court. In November 2008 Yuhas lent his name and financial support to anti-marriage forces and is listed as a contributor to the Yes on 8 campaign in the amount of $27,500. Yuhas made public claims not to have given any money to the Prop 8 campaign and after a careful search of records, there is no evidence that he did. Some argue his contributions came though other contributions to political action committees (PACs), but Yuhas denies even these claims. Given the amount of money he gave to political causes since 2003, almost $53,500 Open Secrets mostly to Republicans and conservative PACs, it is almost certain that some of his money made it into the pro-heterosexual marriage campaign.
Yuhas openly rejects the civil rights argument of gay and lesbian people and embraces the social conservative viewpoint that marriage should continue to be between a man and a woman arguing that you cannot compare being gay to being black or Hispanic. "If you have to go out of your way and tell people that you are gay or somebody thinks that you're feminine or whatever, well, I'm sorry, that's not the same as being a black guy who has to face the horrors of racism every day of his life in some places." He goes further by saying that LGBT individuals cannot be compared to the African American civil rights struggle because being black is "immutable," but you cannot look at a person and know they are gay. He has been berated by gay advocacy groups for saying things like that and even had to fend off a formal Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) complaint for using alleged homophobic slurs over the public airwaves. The latter complaint was because Yuhas has a sometimes-segment on his program called the "Extraordinary Gay Update" and he reads directly from gay newspapers and magazines and urges gay people not to use words that "we demand others purge from their vocabulary" as we use the words about ourselves.
On his program on October 4, 2009 he was accused of being a "shill for Israel" and a blogger wrote that Yuhas' frequent guests of Israeli officials, makes him unable to be objective on the issue. Yuhas responded by telling the listener that he does not portend to be objective and has a "vested interest" in the survival of the Israeli state. Yuhas' other guests have included conservatives such as Ann Coulter (a person Yuhas was pictured with in West Hollywood in summer 2009), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) - there is no record of her appearing on any other program on KOGO 600 AM, the former Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, Defense and the President of Serbia and the newly recognized Kosovo. Just when some try to "pin Yuhas down" to a political position as biased, it is difficult to do because he is an equal opportunity pundit. Being able to obtain interviews with liberal and conservative individuals and groups certainly bode well for claims by Yuhas that he is an "independent conservative" and not a simply a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Yuhas said on his program and in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal that he votes for the "best candidate" and supported Hillary Clinton during the 2008 presidential election.
After winning the Iowa Straw Poll in 2011 Yuhas told his radio audience that he gave a political contribution to Michele Bachmann, despite her open hostility to the LGBT community and her husband's role in "curing" LGBT people through his health clinic. When pressed by a caller for his choice for the GOP nomination to oppose President Barack Obama in 2012, Yuhas said, "So long as the GOP nominates somebody that can beat President Obama, I'm good."
Michael Rood v. Steve Yuhas, Clear Channel and KOGO
In December 2008 Yuhas, Clear Channel Communications and his station were sued by a high school principal, Michael J. Rood, for defamation and invasion of privacy. Michael J. Rood is represented by civil rights lawyer H. Paul Kondrick and Yuhas is represented by a team of lawyers from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton including "super lawyer" Guylyn Cummins and James Chadwick. Yuhas claims that Rood, a well-respected high school principal in the San Diego School District, worked as an associate publisher of a pornographic magazine during school hours and using school resources. Hearings began in the case in summer 2009 and continue as Yuhas filed a costly Strategic Lawsuit Against Public ParticipationStrategic lawsuit against public participation
A strategic lawsuit against public participation is a lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition....
, known as a SLAPP motion, forcing Rood into a position of fighting for his reputation in this case. A legal fund is available to assist Mr. Rood by contacting his attorney. Both men are gay, but Yuhas' homophobic and draconian manner of litigation is drowning Rood in legal bills and true to their reputations as power lawyers the attorneys at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton have filed ten times the number of motions as Rood. Yuhas refuses all requests for media interviews in this case and hides behind his attorneys.
In December 2009 San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith F. Hayes rules in favor of Yuhas - denying Rood the right to present his evidence at trial to an unbiased jury. Rood is appealing the decision on Constitutional grounds that Yuhas's speech was not protected and included an invasion of privacy, was not protected by the California or U.S. Constitution under any rule. The case is expected to be heard in 2012. Yuhas's lawyers asked for nearly $250,000 in legal fees from Rood for a case that spanned a year and a half and only included motions hearings and other costs that amount to far less. To date no award against Rood has been entered.San DIego Superior Court actions.
On June 3, 2011, a unanimous panel for the California Court of Appeal in San Diego rejected arguments from Rood that Yuhas's commentary was libelous or slander and effectively shielded Yuhas from any responsibility over the false report. Writing in the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, Aaron Mackey wrote, that the Appeals Court, "(R)ejected arguments from the former principal that the commentator’s report on the audit conducted by school officials did not qualify for a state law that protects journalists who report on government proceedings." Guylyn Cummins, one of Yuhas's many attorneys in the matter said in the article that the costly, unfair SLAPP motion Yuhas sprung on Rood said the decision "Demonstrates why privileges are important to journalists and why the anti-SLAPP statute is important to journalists." Rood will appeal to the Supreme Court and Yuhas and his attorneys are actively seeking the attorney fees and costs awarded by both the lower court and the Appeals court that total over $300,000 - sufficient to push Rood into bankruptcy. The decision set an important precedent for radio talk show commentators by granting them the same protections to shield sources and to respond to lawsuits as a journalist working a beat.
International radio and television
One issue that put Yuhas on the international map was the debate over the disappearance of Natalee HollowayNatalee Holloway
Natalee Ann Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An American student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, Holloway graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, shortly before the trip...
. For Yuhas, the issue was that over the behavior of Holloway's parents and the fact that so many media personalities decided that three young men were guilty before they were charged. Yuhas wrote a series of articles, but a few stood out and drew the ire of some media outlets in the South and Yuhas was asked again to appear locally, nationally and internationally over the topic. In the newspaper El Diario La Prensa
El Diario La Prensa
El Diario la Prensa is the largest and oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in New York City, and the oldest Spanish-language daily in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human-interest...
, Yuhas wrote (translated to English - uncorrected syntax): "Beth Twitty comes across to the people of Alabama as a sympathetic character, and she is because she can’t find her daughter, but to much of America and the world she is an abrasive and rude woman whose disdain for the people of Aruba overshadows the goodwill that was initially shown to her in the opening days of this soap opera. Her following people around with television cameras in tow in order to confront people that she suspects had something to do with her daughters demise has become fodder for virtually everyone not within 500 miles of Mountain Brook, Alabama."
During an appearance on ABC, Yuhas was being interviewed about a column he wrote when one of the chaperones during the Alabama trip called into the program (Bob Plummer) - at first the debate was civil, but when Plummer found out that Yuhas was gay, he hung up his phone and said that Yuhas being gay made his participation unnecessary.
Yuhas is featured in The Unrevealed Time Lies, a documentary film by award winning Dutch filmmaker, Renée Gielen. The documentary was released in Holland in July 2008 and in the United States in September 2008. Yuhas is not alone in this documentary as Natalee Holloway's father agreed to an interview as did justice ministers, former investigators and friends of the Holloway and Twitty family. The feature will be shown on American television and a preview was released that features Yuhas' participation and that of the others. The trailer for the film allegedly shows compelling evidence that Beth Twitty arrived in Aruba before Holloway went missing.
Many news organizations picked up Yuhas' comments and columns about Natalee Holloway. A few of them were offensive to people who knew her and entire threads of message boards were dedicated to slamming Yuhas' opinion. Most recently Yuhas wrote about the search funds and the multiple arrests of the same suspects. and being followed in Alabama - his appearances about Natalee Holloway's disappearance became international. On Rita Cosby's program on MSNBC Yuhas was scolded by another talk show host after he refused to endorse a boycott of Aruba.
After former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey came out of the closet in a televised confession after he was targeted for blackmail by his former lover, Yuhas wrote a column for the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called "Political Lies and Personal Lives". In the article Yuhas claims that McGreevey's "self-serving coming-out news conference" and showed surprise and anger that gay organizations stood behind the nation's first openly gay governor. In January of the following year, McGreevey appeared on Yuhas' show when he was in Los Angeles for a book tour. The program was one of the highest rated and the former Governor was scheduled for 20 minutes and ended up staying an entire hour.
On his radio show on January 25, 2009, Yuhas stated that actions by the George W. Bush administration that had caused more people to support terrorism were okay because it would create more people for the United States to kill.
During his radio show on May 19, 2009, Yuhas demanded that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger be recalled after the failure of all of the ballot measures that cost the state $35 million during a year with a $20 billion deficit.
On his radio show on July 12, 2009, Yuhas had a guest on named Eyal Feldman, the founder of an adult product company that Yuhas called a friend. Feldman owns Boy Butter Lubes and he blogged about the radio show and is pictured with Yuhas on the adult product's website. During the "debate" about gay pride parades, Yuhas said he believed that gay people can "pray their way" out of homosexuality.
Yuhas was on the air when the landmark health care bill was passed into law by the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010. During that show, Yuhas spent four hours arguing against the power and authority of the federal government and got callers to call for open rebellion on the government. When asked by a caller if he favored people not having medical care he said that the medical care of other people is not a federal issue, but refuses to comment further and hangs up on callers that challenge him.
On being gay
Perhaps the biggest controversy concerning Steve Yuhas in his public life has been that part of his life that he lives in private: Yuhas is openly gay. He began talking on the radio when he filled in as a guest host for Roger HedgecockRoger Hedgecock
Roger Allan Hedgecock is a conservative talk radio host and former mayor of San Diego, California. His show is syndicated by Radio America. Hedgecock still resides in San Diego...
after he was fired for being too conservative from a gay newspaper. The paper eventually folded, but his firing put him on a course to launch his mainstream career. He wrote an opinion piece for the San Diego Union-Tribune that ran during the San Diego gay pride festivities and it brought out the ire of many in the gay community. An Odd Way to Bring Gays into the Mainstream was printed in the middle of the parade and festival and the reaction was almost instantaneous. Gay activists were offended, but many gays signed on to Yuhas' logic that if you want to be taken seriously that you have to fight the urge to appear on the fringe.
Yuhas has written many articles and commentary on the issue of being a gay conservative. He is opposed to issues that many gay people consider central to being homosexual: he believes that marriage is a 'uniquely heterosexual institution' and that adoption for gay couples is something that is not good for children because he believes that children need a mother and a father - he clarified on the CBS Early Show that children need a mother and a father (gay or straight) and is opposed to single person adoption as well.
Though he is considered out of the mainstream for political gay thought, Yuhas is featured as a "queer" columnist on the website Lavender But Not Pink and other gay websites where his brand of political thinking would have been considered taboo just a few years ago. Yuhas has stated publicly that it is quickly becoming more and more 'ok' to be a conservative thinker and gay and the Internet has allowed an explosion of conservative gay thinkers to be able to reach people quickly. An article in the The Washington Blade
The Washington Blade
The Washington Blade is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender newspaper in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Blade is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and second largest by circulation, behind Gay City News of New York City...
says that Yuhas "is one of the most well known gay political thinkers - even if his thinking is backwards."
Beginning in 2005 Yuhas began appearing on red carpet events and awards shows. He was also photographed at many charity and political events. Although he does not talk about his giving publicly and despite the fact that some have assigned him the moniker "self-hating gay" or "homophobe", he continues to live a "normal" life in up-and-coming Hollywood. In a strange irony his quest for privacy was disrupted when in February 2008 he was photographed at The Ivy
The Ivy
The Ivy is a restaurant in West Street, near Covent Garden in London. It opened in 1917 and is popular with celebrities and theatre goers. In 2000, the restaurant was awarded the Moët & Chandon London Restaurant Award for excellence....
in Los Angeles with his brother.
When Yuhas showed his support for the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and it was known that he had a gay Marine boyfriend (they are no longer together) a "reward" for a photo of the two together was offered by a gay gossip website. One of the many paparazzi stationed outside most popular West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Hollywood hot spots got the picture and it appeared the following day on the celebrity blog Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, someone known for his "outing" of celebrities and "breaking" other celebrity gossip. That picture was removed, but not after it was picked up by other "news" outlets. The photo featured vulgar pictures drawn on it and posted to show Yuhas and the person he was eating with as being lovers when, in fact, they were brothers.
His desire for privacy is what he calls a "delicate balance." He lives behind the gates of two gated communities, both with guard houses. A restraining order is on record for at least three people in southern CA for stalking: two in Los Angeles and another in San Diego. Yuhas told his radio audience that he owned a Desert Eagle
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
handgun and that "he knew how to use it." The weapon is manufactured by an Israeli company that is being considered for being banned as an assault weapon. Yuhas said that he would not hesitate to use the weapon to defend himself or his property and sends the signal almost daring someone to attempt something for his own amusement.
In fall 2010 Yuhas and KOGO, the Clear Channel affiliate in San Diego, were among the co-sponsors of an event called HOMOCON for the conservative gay group GOProud
GOProud
GOProud is an American tax exempt 527 organization representing conservative gays, lesbians, transgendered people, and their allies. GOProud advocates for small government conservatism at the level of federal public policy. GOProud was founded by Christopher R...
. The event was held in New York City at the apartment of billionaire financier Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel
Peter Andreas Thiel is an American business magnate, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager. With Elon Musk and Max Levchin, Thiel co-founded PayPal and was its CEO...
and featured Ann Coulter
Ann Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
as the so-called "right wing Judy Garland" speaking on issues of the day. The event shouldn't have been controversial, but World Net Daily's publisher, Joseph Farah, took it as a cause celeb and declared Coulter's decision to speak at the event inconsistent with her values as a Christian. Farah appeared on a number of gay talk programs (Yuhas being the only non-satellite show available to him) to explain his objections. Yuhas was not convinced and said it was "foolish, borderline childish... I think he just likes the publicity."
Salary and charity
Yuhas is known for charity giving and he was chronicled in the North County TimesNorth County Times
The North County Times is a local newspaper in north San Diego County, California owned by Lee Enterprises. It is headquartered in Escondido. The current publisher is Peter York....
as the most prolific political contributor to the Republican Party in the media today.
Yuhas is also in attendance at many charity events including cancer research and he has asked his listeners to donate to PanCAN
PanCAN
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a 5013 non-profit that funds research, provides patient support, conducts community outreach and advocates for increased federal research funding for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. This year, over 42,000 Americans will be...
- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. It is unclear why he took up the passion for this particular cancer, but he has both written about it and talked about it publicly on his radio program on KOGO. Yuhas embraced a number of charitable causes on his radio program and recently began advocating for another group, Homefront San Diego, an organization to assist low ranking members of the military obtain money, cars, food and shelter in the event they cannot afford it.
His salary is up for discussion, but it was reported on KCBQ in October 2008 to range from $400–700k for talent and upwards of $800k for advertising. KCBQ also lists his website in the top 10 for CA based radio talk programs at Townhall, the largest conservative website in America.
Whatever his earnings, Yuhas has been shown driving at least four luxury cars and a blog posting at the Union-Tribune claims that Yuhas is "making his living bashing GLBT people" after he was photographed arriving at a San Diego restaurant in a Maserati Quattroporte
Maserati Quattroporte
The Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door saloon made by Maserati in Italy. The name translated from Italian literally means "four doors". There have been five generations of the car, each separated by a period of roughly five years....
. His home is pictured in the Rancho Santa Fe News with a CL63 AMG Mercedes, a Range Rover and a Mercedes GL SUV. All told Yuhas' car collection alone was valued in the newspaper at approximately $450,000.