The lightning-rod life of Dr. Laura - CNN.com
"The loudest criticism came after Schlessinger, then an adherent of Orthodox Judaism (she later left the faith), called homosexuality a "biological error." With a new "Dr. Laura" syndicated TV talk show in the works at the time, gay rights groups protested Schlessinger, the show's producers and its advertisers. The TV program, which premiered in September 2000, was canceled six months later.
On her blog, she's toned down her comments about homosexuality, saying that though she's "for marriage as a bond between a man and a woman," she's backed "efforts to encourage openness and acceptance of gays in their own families, much less society."
Schlessinger also suffered a decline after the attacks of September 11, 2001, though Harrison ascribes that to an increased focus on political and military issues in contrast to Schlessinger's bread and butter: relationships. She's since built her audience back up, he said.
And she's still inflaming tempers. Several years ago, when asked by a Salt Lake Tribune reporter about advice for military spouses, she said -- in her Dr. Laura way -- they should be unabashedly supportive. "He could come back without arms, legs or eyeballs, and you're bitching?" said Schlessinger, whose son served in Afghanistan. "You're not dodging bullets, so I don't want to hear any whining."
Some military families complained and she later claimed her words had been taken out of context.
In 2008, after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer admitted cheating on his wife, Schlessinger said in reference to the incident, "I hold women accountable for tossing out perfectly good men by not treating them with the love and kindness and respect and attention they need." Again, a minor media firestorm arose.
Her strong-fragile duality remained apparent, said Matthew LaPlante, the Salt Lake reporter who interviewed Schlessinger.
"She was genuinely hurt and worried that what she'd said had come across as unduly harsh for military families ... but at the same time, she didn't apologize. She deflected responsibility," he said. "
