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The Benham brothers are trying to set the record straight about their views on gays and Muslims.
Twin real estate dealers David and Jason Benham appeared on CNN to discuss the cancellation of their HGTV reality show Flip It Forward, which the network called off after evidence of their antigay and anti-Muslim activism surfaced online.
David Benham, a former spokesman for Operation Save America, an extremist right-wing organization founded by his father, said HGTV was "bullied" into canceling the show by "an agenda that is seeking to silence men and women of faith."
He maintained that,while he has been critical of this "agenda" in the past, "never have I ever spoken against homosexuals as individuals and gone against them."
"We love homosexuals and we love Muslims," Benham said. "There's a difference between people and an agenda."
Benham was addressing remarks he made during a 2012 interview with conservative radio host Janet Mefferd, in which he said "homosexuality and its agenda" are "attacking the nation" and warned that "demonic ideologies [are] tak[ing] our universities and our public school systems." Benham, who has led protests outside abortion clinics and Pride parades, has also referred to Muslims as "the enemy attacking" America.
As they've previously stated, the brothers argued that the furor that resulted in their show's cancellation was in response to their faith and ideology, which Jason Benham described as a "pro-family view ... you're not allowed to have that anymore."
"I believe any sex outside of marriage, no matter what kind of sex it is, is just not healthy for human flourishing," David Benham added.
Watch the interview below.
