LGBT issues
O'Reilly supports civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, but has said that nobody has the "right" to marry; he says that marriage, like driving a car, is a privilege, not a right. He has said that if the government felt marriage was a right, then it would not stop polygamists and incestuous couples from marrying.[67] O'Reilly further explained his position in his book Culture Warrior:
To this culture warrior, gay marriage is not a vital issue. I don't believe the republic will collapse if Larry marries Brendan. However, it is clear that most Americans want heterosexual marriage to maintain its special place in American society. And as long as gays are not penalized in the civil arena, I think the folks should make the call at the ballot box. Traditional marriage is widely seen as a social stabilizer, and I believe that is true.[68]
On March 26, 2013, O'Reilly stated "I support civil unions, I always have. The gay marriage thing, I don't feel that strongly about it one way or the other. I think the states should do it." O'Reilly then said, "The compelling argument is on the side of homosexuals ... 'We're Americans, we just want to be treated like everybody else.' That's a compelling argument, and to deny that you’ve got to have a very strong argument on the other side. And the other side hasn’t been able to do anything but thump the Bible.[69]
O'Reilly discussed a story surrounding around a teenage lesbian couple being elected as the "cutest couple" in their school yearbook. He stated that he believed that this couple was elected by the students to "tweak the adults" and to "cause trouble". He explains further here:
High school kids, they experiment. They experiment all over the place, they have a chip on their shoulder. They do things just to get a reaction, just to rebel. Parents might say "We don't want to normalize homosexuality in a public way in an academic setting among minors. We don't think that reflects how we feel about it".[70]
O'Reilly is known to favor adoption by a same-sex couple since 2002.[71]
O'Reilly is opposed to the School Success and Opportunity Act (Assembly Bill 1266), which extends gender identity and expression discrimination protection to transgender and gender-nonconforming K-12 students in public schools. O'Reilly described the law as "madness" and "anarchy" on Fox News Channel.[72]
