Glenn Beck Condemns Anti-Gay Gang Attacks in the Bronx, New York

NEW YORK (Oct. 14) -- New York City officials aren't the only ones to express their shock, dismay, outrage and disgust with a series of brutal anti-gay attacks police say were perpetrated by 10 street gang members last week (who have since been arrested and charged with hate crimes). In fact, one of the most recent strongest voices of condemnation has been none other than that of Fox News host Glenn Beck.

On his show Wednesday night, Beck deliberately sidestepped what he said was "the main story of the day," the rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners, to segue into a long rumination on the attacks, calling them "horrific," the perpetrators "monsters," even going so far as to compare them to infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Watch below:

Beck went on to say that he thought the attacks were evidence of a "growing darkness" in America that needed to be addressed and confronted.

For the record, it's the second time in recent months that Beck, a social conservative icon and member of the Church of Latter-day Saints (which doesn't support gay marriage), has spoken up in defense of gay rights. In August, he got into a live debate on the air with fellow Fox News host Bill O'Reilly about gay marriage, ultimately saying he found it to be "no threat" to American society and quoting Thomas Jefferson to defend his views. Watch that exchange below:

Glenn Beck: new gay rights champion? We wouldn't go that far quite yet, but it is an interesting example of how Beck is willing to depart from views expressed by members of his socially conservative audience. It's also an example of how his own views have seemingly shifted over time, since back in 2009, when he used toys to demonstrate the "slippery slope from same-sex marriage to polyamorous marriage." In other news, Beck promised to reveal more about his recent health issues on his show tonight.

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