Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority in 1979 to get fundamentalist Christians involved in the political process. The Moral Majority condemned homosexuality, abortion and pornography. He credited the organization with getting thousands of Christians out to vote in 1980 and getting Ronald Reagan elected. The Moral Majority folded in 1989.
In 1976 Jerry Falwell was part of a state-wide campaign in Florida to ban gay adoption. The law still stands and Florida is the only state with an outright ban on gay and lesbian adoption. Jerry Falwell is also credited with the comment AIDS is God's wrath against the homosexuals.
Jerry Falwell was one of the first preachers to use television to render a big following. He had a show called the "Old Time Gospel Hour." Falwell built a huge base of fundamentalist Christian voters who influenced many political elections. His legacy can still be felt in fundamentalist Christian politics today.
Jerry Falwell created quite a controversy in 1999 when his organization suggested that the purse-carrying Teletubbies character Tinky Winky was gay because he was purple, had a triangle on his head and carried a purse. Jerry Falwell said he never made those comments.
Jerry Falwell may have had political savvy, but he sure did say some outrageous things in his career. When Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian Jerry Falwell called her "Ellen Degenerate." To which Ellen replied, "Really? He called me that? I've been getting that since the fourth grade."
A few days after the attacks to 9/11/2001 Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson were talking on The 700 Club and Jerry Falwell said, "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say "'you helped this happen.'"
In 2004 Jerry Falwell formed the Faith and Values Coalition largely to see that a constitutional amendment was passed to ban gay marriage.
Jerry Falwell died April 15, 2007.
Sources: 356gay.com, planetout.com, actupny.org
