Dori Monson has been suspended indefinitely by Bonneville Seattle from hosting the Seahawks' pregame and postgame radio shows after a tweet he sent mocking transgender people, The Seattle Times has confirmed.
Monson sent the tweet Wednesday night during the Washington gubernatorial debate between Gov. Jay Inslee and Republican challenger Loren Culp.
Monson, who also hosts a daily show on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM from noon to 3 p.m., tweeted: "Inslee: we follow science in WA. The state where I could go to Olympia tomorrow and change my birth cert to say I was a girl on 10/2/61 HAHAHAHAHA."
KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and 710 AM ESPN, the Seahawks' flagship station, are owned by Bonneville Seattle.
Monson, who declined to comment Friday when reached by The Times, has been part of the Seahawks' game-day coverage since 2002 and has hosted a Friday segment on 97.3 FM with coach Pete Carroll.
Monson was not on the air Friday, and the tweet has been deleted.
KIRO Radio program director Bryan Buckalew declined to comment Friday, adding that the company does not comment on personnel matters.
Monson's tweet Wednesday drew immediate criticism on social media, with many directing comments to the Seahawks, who have recently taken public stances denouncing racism and police violence against Black people.
The Seahawks, who declined to comment, suspended Monson, 59, on Friday, and Bonneville followed suit.
Among those calling for action against Monson was Seattle Pride, which tweeted Friday that Monson should be terminated.
Seattle Pride executive director Krystal Marx released a statement Friday to The Times:
"We appreciate the actions taken today by KIRO 97.3 FM and the Seattle Seahawks, and believe that suspending Dori Monson is a good first step, though we also ask Mr. Monson to issue a sincere apology and take actions to build empathy and understanding toward our transgender community -- and that he realizes the harmful impact of his words by taking actionable steps towards addressing his history of homophobic and transphobic remarks. If he is unwilling to take these important actions, Seattle Pride will continue to call for his immediate termination.
"Numerous studies have shown that trans people are at a significantly greater risk of depression, fear, isolation and suicide, largely due to ridicule, discrimination and violence. Seeing gender identity openly mocked in public only increases that stigmatization and puts transgender lives at further risk."
Monson is known for his conservative stances on his daily talk show, and in 2019 he drew attention on his show to a homeless couple who parked their trailer in front of City Councilmember Lisa Herbold's home. Monson has been a frequent critic of many of the council's actions, including on homelessness.
After mentioning the trailer on his show -- which caused some fans to write "Dori4Gov" on the side -- Monson wrote on KIRO's website: "I had nothing to do with this. But am I enjoying it immensely? Yes, I am. I can't hide that. This is what has been happening around the city. This is the nightmare with which residents have been living."
Other social-media users said Monson's latest tweet seemed at odds with some of the Seahawks' platforms regarding social issues.
Seahawks players in 2017 established the Seahawks Players Equality & Justice For All action fund, which has a stated goal of supporting education and leadership programs supporting justice and equality.
___
(c)2020 The Seattle Times
Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
