U.S. politics Savage tends toward
liberal political views, with pronounced contrarian and
libertarian streaks. He frequently mentions political issues in his column, particularly issues that affect family planning, birth control, and sexuality. He often encourages readers to get involved and/or voice a positive or negative opinion about a politician or public official. Savage has also opposed state legislation prohibiting the sale of
sex toys. After an exposé by Kandiss Crone from
WLBT in
Jackson, Mississippi, precipitated the arrest and fining of an adult video store owner, Savage satirically suggested that readers send Crone any sex toys that they needed to dispose of. In a 2006 interview with the
Daily Pennsylvanian, Savage claimed that
Carl Romanelli, who was briefly the
Green Party's candidate for U.S. Senate in
that year's election in Pennsylvania, was partially funded by state Republicans for a
spoiler effect against Democrat
Bob Casey Jr., and further stated that Romanelli "should be dragged behind a pickup truck until there's nothing left but the rope". He also said that if Romanelli, who had been disqualified from appearing on the general election ballot, was allowed back on the ballot, "someone should run him over with a truck". Immediately after the interview, Savage wrote, "I regret using that truck metaphor, and didn't mean it literally, and it was in poor taste, and I regret it." On a 2011 episode of
Real Time with Bill Maher, during a panel discussion on the
debt limit increase negotiations between the
U.S. Congress and President
Barack Obama, Savage said, "I wish [the Republicans] were all fucking dead." He apologized for the comment on his blog later the same night, saying, "I don't feel that way", adding that his father voted Republican, and calling it "a stupid, rude, thoughtless remark, a flubbed expression of disgust".
2000 Iowa caucuses In January 2000, Savage traveled to Iowa to write about the state's
presidential caucuses for
Salon. He wrote that he had planned "to follow one of the loopy conservative Christian candidates around—Gary Bauer|[Gary] Bauer or Alan Keyes|[Alan] Keyes—and write something insightful and humanizing about him, his campaign, and his supporters", but he was so angered by remarks that Bauer made in opposition to
same-sex marriage that he abandoned the idea. Instead, Savage, who had been sick with influenza, said that he volunteered for the Bauer campaign with the intent to spread his flu to the candidate and his supporters. He claimed to have licked numerous items in the campaign office, including doorknobs, office supplies, and coffee cups, and later covered a pen in his saliva before handing it to Bauer. Savage also reported registering and participating in the Iowa Republican caucus, which was illegal, as he was not an Iowa resident. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of fraudulent voting in a caucus, and was sentenced to a year's
probation, 50 hours of community service, and a $750 fine.
Other remarks with his brother, Bill Savage,
Northwestern University Senior Lecturer in English (2010)
Iraq War Savage initially supported the
Iraq War and advocated military action against other Middle Eastern states, including
Iran and
Saudi Arabia, saying, "Islamo-fascism is a regional problem, like European fascism—and the Middle East [has] to be remade just as Europe was remade". However, one week before the war began, Savage spoke against it, citing the inability of President
George W. Bush to form a convincing case and sway the UN and
NATO allies. By 2005 he deemed the situation "hopeless" and advocated an immediate troop withdrawal. Savage describes his view toward family as "conservative". He has, however, expressed skepticism of "simplistic" views of
monogamy. In response to a letter asking "Is the AIDS crisis over?" Savage, in his October 22, 1997 column, answered simply, "Yes". Several weeks of columns were devoted in whole or in part to discussion of the issue. Savage also opposes the tactics of the
war on drugs, and opposes the prohibition of certain controlled substances.
Outing In 2006, Savage said that
outing is "brutal and it should be reserved for brutes", writing it should not be done outside of particular circumstances, such as a closeted person publicly advocating against gay rights.
Comments on child sexuality and NAMBLA On the topic of child sexuality, Savage said in 2001:
Comments on child sex abuse Savage has spoken out against child sexual abuse. In 2017, when
Kevin Spacey was accused of attacking then-14 year old
Anthony Rapp while drunk, Spacey released a statement which included
coming out as gay. Savage responded that there is "no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child".
Comments on fat shaming In 2011,
Lindy West published a piece in
The Stranger criticizing Savage, her boss at the time, for repeated comments about fat people in his columns, such as "rolls of exposed flesh are unsightly", which she called "a cruel, subjective opinion", concluding "you need to understand that shaming an already-shamed population is, well, shameful." This incident was later fictionalized in the
Hulu TV series
Shrill.
Comments on anti-bullying Savage also came under scrutiny for an anti-bullying speech he gave in 2012, to the National High School Journalism Convention, in which he encouraged the attending students to "learn to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about gay people", prompting some students to leave the auditorium. Savage apologized on April 29 for calling the walkout "a pansy-assed move", saying, "I wasn't calling the handful of students who left pansies (2,800+ students, most of them Christian, stayed and listened), just the walkout itself." Savage stood by the central point of his speech.
Comments on transgender issues In 2011, J. Bryan Lowder of
Slate stated wrote Savage "often takes heat for his less-than-refined statements on issues like the existence of male bisexuality, the responsibility of asexuals to 'come out' before dating, and, indeed, certain issues surrounding transgenderism." Savage has repeatedly been the focus of controversy for his use of slurs regarding the transgender community, other remarks regarding trans issues, and for claiming as a joke that
Rob McKenna, who was
attorney general of Washington from 2005 to 2013, is a transgender man, though he is not. He has been
glitter bombed three times, twice in 2011 and once in 2012, by protesters who alleged that he is
transphobic, among other accusations. In 2014, during a seminar at the
University of Chicago on social media, Savage discussed his past use of the word "
tranny". He objected to a student's request that he use the phrase "T-slur" instead, and gave examples of other slurs. Some students criticized him, claiming that he tried to make the student feel threatened and uncomfortable. A University representative said, "A guest used language that provoked a spirited debate. The speaker was discussing how hurtful words can be repurposed and used to empower; at no point did he direct any slurs at anyone." Savage later thanked the University for standing up for him and demanded an apology from those who had accused him of hatred towards trans people. ==Works==