Fans Defend Phil Robertson's Anti-Gay Remarks As 'Free Speech'

It appears that "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson was unable to duck controversy, as A&E suspended him Wednesday after a GQ article was published exposing anti-gay remarks that he made in an interview with the magazine.

The Duck Commander creator and reality TV show star caused a massive controversy with remarks equating homosexuality with a whole host of unsavory folks.

"Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won’t inherit the kingdom of God," he said in the article. "Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."

The popular TV star then went on to offer an odd and unsettling critique of homosexuality, even going so far as to equate it with sin.

"It seems to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man's anus," he explained. "That's just me. I'm just thinking, 'There's more there! She's got more to offer.' I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."

The remarks were roundly criticized by many equality and gay rights groups, including GLAAD. Wilson Cruz, a spokesman for the group, responded as follows: "Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe ... Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."

A&E made a calculated decision by choosing to suspend Robertson, but his fans are not accepting his suspension without a fight, and many of them took to Twitter to voice their displeasure.

Some Twitter users who backed Robertson, like @_AverageGirl_, simply stated what they thought about the issue: "You know what, I applaud Phil Robertson or standing up for what he believes in."

Tweeter @MorgenEngel didn't agree with what Robertson said, but she responded with her own thoughts: "I agree. No one should ever back down from what they truly believe. I do not agree with him, but his opinion is his own."

But some people took it much further, like @DaveTheMogul, and tried to make it a First Amendment issue: "A&E stands behind 1st amendment when they lie about Storage Wars but they fire Phil Robertson for expressing his views. A&E rating whores."

And others, like U.S. military veteran @eredmon19, claimed that A&E was violating Robertson's right to free speech by suspending him for comments it didn't find acceptable: "As a former solider I am appalled at A&E's suspension of Phil Robertson for exercising his right to free speech I fought for. #PhilRoberston."

Meanwhile, some Twitter users, like @valsocal, took the further step of saying they would boycott A&E and "Duck Dynasty" in response to Robertson's suspension: "Hey @aetv is trending! Not in a good way But in a boycott kinda way.We support Phil Robertson! boycott #duckdynasty."

No matter what side you're on, you have to admit that there's a lot of drama currently going on in the world of "Duck Dynasty."