Donald Wildmon

Donald Wildmon, born 18 January 1938 in Dumas, Mississippi, is the founder and head of the fundamentalist Christian organisation, the American Family Association. Their mandate is a combination of cleaning up the media of violence and pornography, as well as 'healing' homosexuals.

Related Topics:
18 January - 1938 - Dumas, Mississippi - American Family Association

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He graduated from Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi, in 1960.

Related Topics:
Millsaps College - 1960

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In 1961 he married Lynda Lou Bennett with whom he has two sons and two daughters.

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From 1961 to 1963 he served in the U.S. Army Special Services. He was ordained as a minister of the United Methodist Church in 1964 and served as a pastor until 1977 when he left the church to campaign against pornography and violence in the media.

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He gained his Master of Divinity (MDiv.) from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia in 1965.

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The National Federation for Decency was founded in 1977, which was renamed the American Family Association in 1987. The AFA currently has a membership of more than 400,000, with over 500 local branches.

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In 1987, the same year that he persuaded the FCC to issue a warning to shock-jock Howard Stern, he conceived the idea of the American Family Radio (AFR, then WAFR). They were eventually granted a local FM licence in 1991 in Tupelo, Mississippi and now broadcast to over 20 states.

Related Topics:
1987 - Shock-jock - Howard Stern - 1991

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In 1991, the British film Damned in the USA, directed by Paul Yule was produced, chronicling primarily the battle between Wildmon and artists Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe ("Piss Christ" - A crucifix in urine, and "Joe" - A photograph of a naked man, respectively). This movie is perhaps notable for a reworking by Lou Reed of his song Walk on the Wild Side entitled "Walk on the Wildmon".

Related Topics:
Damned in the USA - Paul Yule - Andres Serrano - Robert Mapplethorpe - Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side

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Incidentally, the battle against the artists was a success, with the Senate passing an amendment to hold funding for the South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC (Piss Christ), and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia (Joe). Eventually the punishment was a $45,000 cut in the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) budget - the amount spent on the exhibitions.

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Among other individual things against which he has campaigned are Disneyland for admitting gay couples, the film The Last Temptation of Christ, Madonna's Like a Virgin, Robert Clark Young's novel One of the Guys, and Blockbuster Video for stocking NC-17 rated movies.

Related Topics:
Disneyland - The Last Temptation of Christ - Madonna - Like a Virgin - Robert Clark Young - One of the Guys - Blockbuster Video - NC-17

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Wildmon has been accused of Anti-Semitism for his views on the role of Jewish people in the media, and of homophobia for his views on gays.

Related Topics:
Anti-Semitism - Homophobia

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