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WATCH: Michelle Duggar Stands By Transphobic Robocall

WATCH: Michelle Duggar Stands By Transphobic Robocall

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The 19 Kids and Counting star doesn't see the hypocrisy in referring to transgender women as predators, even though her own son has admitted to molesting children, including his sisters.

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In an interview with Fox News that's being viewed as the opposite of damage control, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar were confronted about the molestation scandal that's rocked their TV empire since it was revealed the couple's oldest son, Josh, molested several young girls as a teenager, allegedly including several of his sisters.

Fox's Megyn Kelly asked Michelle if she understands why many are upset with her 2014 robocall, where she successfully scared Fayetteville, Ark., into revoking protections for transgender people in housing, employment, and public accomodations, by claiming that such protections allowed "males with past child predator convictions" to enter women's restrooms and locker rooms. (For the record, there have been zero confirmed instances of anyone "pretending" to be trans to gain access to women's facilities and harassing women in the more than 200 counties nationwide that have trans-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances.)

Michelle deflected, saying, "I think protecting young girls and not allowing young men, and men in general, to go into a girl's locker room is just common sense."

Kelly pressed on, noting that many are offended since Michelle referred to transgender people as potential molesters. That's when Jim Bob interjected, claiming that Michelle actually accused transgender people of potentially being pedophiles. The 19 Kids and Counting patriarch went on to explain that their son Josh is not a pedophile, since he was a teenager when he molested five young girls.

As Zack Ford at ThinkProgress notes, Kelly missed a second opportunity to highlight the Duggar family's hypocrisy on condemning sexual abuse only when it occurs outside their own family:

"In 2002, when Jim Bob was running for U.S. Senate, he actually argued that rape and incest 'represent heinous crimes and as such should be treated as capital crimes.' As part of his justification for opposing abortion even in cases of rape, he suggested, 'If a woman is raped, the rapist should be executed instead of the innocent unborn baby.'"

Far from advocating for his son's executing, a new report from In Touch magazine, which broke the initial story, reports the Duggars knew of their son's abuse for 16 months before reporting it to authorities. Josh, who has admitted that he "acted inexcusably," was never charged in the assaults.

Watch Kelly grill the Duggars about their anti-LGBT rhetoric below.

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Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.
Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.