Anti-gay groups launch Twitter campaign to save Duggar show from 'rabid homosexuals'

Responding to a petition calling for The Learning Channel & Discovery Networks to drop the Duggar family's 19 Kids and Counting, the American Family Association is fighting back with a petition of their own, while LifeSiteNews  launched #DefendtheDuggars on Twitter.

Launched in mid-November by Jim Wissick of San Jose, the Change.org petition points out the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric of the Duggar family and asks that their show be dropped. The petition hit its goal of 100,000 signatures in four days and currently lists over 160,000 names.

The petition states,  "Michelle Duggar of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting is warning Fayetteville residents that transgender people are child predators and that the law will somehow protect that predatory behavior."

Wissick also notes on his petition: "Josh Duggar has also taken a position at the so called 'Family Research Council'. The Family Research Center is such a hate-filled, anti-gay organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2010 labeled it a 'hate group' for its 'dissemination of false and demonizing propaganda about gays and lesbians.'”

"The Learning Channel & Discovery Networks need to separate themselves from this bigotry and put an end to the Duggar's show."

Responding to the petition, AFA radio personality Bryan Fischer launched a petition of his own claiming, "Rabid homosexual activists have made America’s favorite family enemy Number One." Fischer tweeted out a link to the petition reading, "Duggar Family is under all-out assault by the Gay Gestapo. Sign this petition to show your support."

Fischer has set a goal of one million signatures by Christmas  but in order to sign, petitioners  must supply their name and email address to the AFA.  Unlike the Change.org petition, no running account of signatures is displayed.

LifeSiteNews launched #DefendtheDuggars on Twitter in order to build support for the family.

Like many Twitter campaigns, #DefendtheDuggar has been hijacked, with gay couples submitting pictures of themselves kissing, and comments directed at the family.

One commenter wrote, "#DefendtheDuggars because c'mon, only old, unattractive, homophobic, white married couples should be allowed to post gross makeout selfies," while another wrote, "Thank the lord for sending two cable star nymphomaniacs dressed like Walmart to show us how to live. #DefendtheDuggars."

A sampling of the tweets below: