Bill O'Reilly is scheduled to speak at a luncheon for the It Happened To Alexa Foundation, an advocacy group for rape victims, on March 19th. Given his history of blaming the victim, is this appropriate? We don't think so!

Withdraw Invitation to Hypocrite O'Reilly

Target:

The Board of Directors, It Happened to Alexa Foundation

Sponsored by:

Concerned Citizens Against Sexual Violence

ABOUT OUR PETITION

(This section contains background information about our petition. If you would like to read the text of the actual letter of petition which will be sent to the It Happened to Alexa Foundation, please click the link marked "letter" under the photo of Bill O'Reilly.)

Bill O'Reilly is scheduled to speak at a fundraising luncheon for the rape survivors advocacy group It Happened To Alexa Foundation at the Ritz Carlton in Manalapan, Florida, on March 19th, 2009. This is, simply, outrageous.

According to its website, the purpose of the It Happened to Alexa Foundation is to "help support rape survivors through the trauma of the criminal trial, in the hopes that more survivors will go through with the prosecution in order to put these perpetrators behind bars...[and to] assist rape victims families with travel expenses during the litigation process."

A laudable mission, indeed. But not only has O'Reilly been accused of sexual harassment at work (settling out of court and paying his accuser a multi-million dollar sum); he also has a history of making blame-the-victim comments about sexual assault, including the following:

"These two girls come in from the suburbs and they get bombed, and their car is towed because they're moronic girls and, you know, they don't have a car. So they're standing there in the middle of the night with no car. And then they separate because they're drunk...

"Now Moore, Jennifer Moore...She was 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, wearing a miniskirt and a halter top with a bare midriff... So every predator in the world is gonna pick that up at two in the morning. She's walking by herself on the West Side Highway, and she gets picked up by a thug...
And the thug takes her over to New Jersey in the cab and kills her and rapes her and does all these terrible things to her..." (Bill O'Reilly, The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, 8/2/06)

"And the question is, why didn't [11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, kidnapped, held and raped for 4 years] escape when he could have?...The Stockholm syndrome thing, I don't buy it...The situation here for this kid looks to me to be a lot more fun than what he had under his old parents. He didn't have to go to school. He could run around and do whatever he wanted...I think when it all comes down, what's going to happen is, there was an element here that this kid liked about his circumstances." (Bill O'Reilly, Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 1/15/07)

We can only presume that the board of the It Happened to Alexa Foundation were unaware of O'Reilly's history when they extended the invitation to him. But unfortunately, all objections to O'Reilly's appearance since then have been met with a polite rebuttal.

We consider it wholly inappropriate that Bill O'Reilly should be given the opportunity to promote his new book* by associating himself with an organization that does such laudable work on behalf of rape victims.

Please join us in asking the It Happened to Alexa Foundation to withdraw their invitation to Bill O'Reilly and replace him with another, more appropriate, speaker.

*(According to an email from Ellen Augello of the It Happened to Alexa Foundation, O'Reilly is attending to talk about his book, not to speak on the topic of rape.)

Tips for signing/commenting:

You may leave your name only (ticking the box if you do not want it displayed on the site), or add a comment for extra impact. If you do not wish to comment, kindly delete the text you will see in the comment boxes.

If you do comment please remember to be polite and stay on topic. Insults and accusations directed at the Alexa Foundation are likely to create feelings of ill-will, which are counterproductive and will also play into the hands of those who are trying to politicize this issue now that it is receiving more media attention. Remember, the issue is not one of "left" or "right", but of right and wrong, and the problem is not the foundation; it is Bill O'Reilly.

On behalf of rape/abuse survivors and those who support them, we thank you for your support.

(edited 15:12pm gmt, 6/5/09)

Dear Board Members,

We the undersigned wish to request that you withdraw your invitation to Bill O'Reilly to speak at your fundraising luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan, Fla., on March 19th.

We believe that although your invitation to him was made in good faith it is entirely inappropriate given O'Reilly's history of public slurs against victims of sexual violence - such as comments he made about kidnapped child abuse victim Shawn Hornbeck (2007) and murdered rape victim Jennifer Moore (2006) - suggesting that they somehow "asked for it" by their mode of dress or other behavior. These comments were broadcast across the United States and received a great deal of attention; they have not been forgotten.

It is also well known that Bill O'Reilly settled a sexual harassment suit out of court at the eleventh hour, paying his former producer an undisclosed sum alleged to be upwards of $2 million. This, too, received a great deal of publicity not only across the US but abroad, and is a story well known to almost everyone who has ever heard of Bill O'Reilly.

It seems a shame that your Foundation and the laudable work you do, arising out of a personal tragedy, should become associated in the minds of the public with a man who has been seen to deliver a message that victims of sexual violence are somehow to blame or even complicit in the harm done to them. Bill O'Reilly's apparent lack of sensitivity towards those who have been victims of sexual assault sends a message that is not only harmful to women but actually undermines the work of your Foundation by lending support to the myth that sexual violence is somehow not completely and utterly the responsibility of the perpetrator.

While we recognize that withdrawing your invitation to Bill O'Reilly at the last moment will be a difficult and possiby contentious decision to make, we believe that the publicity your Foundation will receive for doing the right thing will not only be extremely positive and widespread, but will give heart to victims of sexual assault and send a positive message to women all across America.

Thank you for your attention.

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We signed the "Withdraw Invitation to Hypocrite O'Reilly" petition!

# 922:

10:13 pm PDT, Mar 15, Dan Hoeschele, New Jersey

# 921:

8:22 am PDT, Mar 15, Kelly Borndale, New York
I already emailed them about this, several friends have as well. The organisation did not even respond to my concerns about associating with Bill O'Reilly.

# 920:

3:48 pm PDT, Mar 14, Alice Baptiste, Pennsylvania
Mr. O'Reilly is incredibly insensitive to women, and does not deserve the recognition of this fine organization.

# 919:

12:14 pm PDT, Mar 14, Name not displayed, Arizona
Because inviting a rape apologist to speak to those traumatized by rape is ...? It's completely insane is what it is, and those who have suffered already should not have to suffer further at this man's hands (or words).

# 918:

10:12 am PDT, Mar 14, Janie Bressler, Arizona

# 917:

9:50 am PDT, Mar 14, Matthew Mitchell, Massachusetts

# 916:

6:13 am PDT, Mar 14, Leslie Cummins, New York

# 915:

5:18 am PDT, Mar 14, Jennifer Gardner, Florida

# 914:

3:30 am PDT, Mar 14, Name not displayed, Nevada
Bill O'Reilly is a sexual predator and rape apologist. How can you allow this man to use your organization to bolster his book sales? It's insulting, and off message to the point of absurdity. My God, he's a poster boy for the exact problems you claim to be fighting! Please, please reconsider.

I was assaulted when I was 16. I willingly got into the car of the man who would later beat me up and try to rape me, and I didn't tell my parents before I snuck out of the house and left with him that night. Thankfully, I got away before he could do more than beat me, but it was shame and fear of being blamed for my own attack that kept me silent until it was far too late to press charges. I still regret that, and it hurts me deeply to see this foundation associate themselves with this serial rape apologist, a man who would see more wrong with my own failure to keep my tempting female body hidden away than with my attacker's decision to beat me bloody and try to force himself on me.

# 913:

11:47 pm PDT, Mar 13, Name not displayed, Texas
The fact that you would even consider honoring someone who believes rape is the victim's fault speaks volumes about how much you really care about your mission. You should be ashamed of yourselves for even thinking about letting O'Reilly open his mouth anywhere near your organization.

# 912:

10:39 pm PDT, Mar 13, Allison Bressler, Arizona
Considering Bill O'Reilly's history of misogyny and uninformed rants about rape victims, I'm hardpressed to see Bill O'Reilly as a speaker for good.

# 911:

7:21 pm PDT, Mar 13, Kimberly Wadsworth, New York

# 910:

7:01 pm PDT, Mar 13, Samantha Thompson, Michigan
His sexual harassment suit and his take on the attack of rape and murder victim Jennifer Moore demonstrates that he is by far the last man to which rape survivors should have to listen. If even one victim is uncomfortable by him speaking at the fundraising luncheon, then that would be one victim too many. His very presence poisons the well.

Do you have a personal reason for wanting to sign this petition? We would be grateful if you would consider sharing a summary of your story here (we reserve the right to edit for brevity).

# 909:

11:29 am PDT, Mar 13, Gregory Powell, Florida

# 908:

8:24 am PDT, Mar 13, Peter Anderson, Massachusetts

# 907:

12:46 am PDT, Mar 13, Jared Voelker, Oregon
This man recently said on his show that a murdered rape victim got what was coming to her because of the clothes she was wearing. How would you feel if a rape victim hears his comments after seeing him speak at your fundraiser, which is bound to happen with the outrage the American people are displaying over this.

# 906:

5:44 pm PDT, Mar 12, Danica Tomsho, Pennsylvania
I don't know what's more disgusting. The fact that the IHTAF is doing this or the fact that he's just coming to promote his new book. What the IHTAF is SUPPOSED to do is provide comfort and support to these poor innocent people. What O'Reilly does is insult them and blame them for something that was NEVER their fault. Now the IHTAF is essentially doing the same. By letting O'Reilly come just for shameless promotion, they are insulting the very people they are supposed to help.

# 905:

4:02 pm PDT, Mar 12, Wendy Green, Washington

# 904:

3:15 pm PDT, Mar 12, Michael Mitsuda, California
People who are accused of sexual harassment should not be addressing anyone except the courts!

# 903:

1:13 pm PDT, Mar 12, Janet Egan, New York

# 902:

10:39 am PDT, Mar 12, Brenna Ivey, New Jersey

# 901:

10:30 am PDT, Mar 12, Name not displayed, New York

# 900:

10:24 am PDT, Mar 12, Name not displayed, Oregon

# 899:

10:20 am PDT, Mar 12, Name not displayed, Rhode Island

# 898:

8:52 am PDT, Mar 12, Holly Yacoumakis, Illinois

# 897:

8:43 am PDT, Mar 12, Name not displayed, New York
Bill O'Reilly's attempts to ingratiate himself with women and women-friendly organizations is nothing more than a publicity stunt and I don't feel he should be allowed to usurp the time and airspace of a REAL activist who actually cares about women, who doesn't shame survivors of sexual assault and who deserves to represent rape victim support groups on the national level.

I was sexually assaulted in a manner I'm sure Bill O'Reilly would declare "my fault." A woman's default setting is not consent to sexual activity, whether she's drunk or not, and even if there were steps she could have taken to prevent making herself vulnerable, the onus is on men not to be sexual predators, a factor which Bill O'Reilly has never once acknowledged.

# 896:

10:17 pm PDT, Mar 11, Andrea Ayala, Texas

# 895:

10:11 pm PDT, Mar 11, Casey Bradley, New York
Since when is it against the law to wear clothing you want to wear. Since when is it not alright to walk where you want to walk. Since when is it acceptable to blame the victim for their actions. It is against the law to rape and murder someone. It is wrong to rape and murder someone. While it may not be against the law to blame the victim, it most certaintly is wrong. Bill O'Reill is one of the most popular people in the media with a very large audiance. Why is it so difficult to understand that people who spread the message that it is alright to blame the victim should not be speaking at an event advocating for victims. It may not be against the law to allow Mr. O'Reilly to speak at your event, but it certently is wrong.

# 894:

9:29 pm PDT, Mar 11, Name not displayed, Texas

# 893:

8:05 pm PDT, Mar 11, Grace Van Doren, California

# 892:

7:51 pm PDT, Mar 11, Lisa Pontoppidan, Massachusetts

# 891:

7:47 pm PDT, Mar 11, Katherine Meade, Florida
People (that's right, people, not just women) are not raped because of the clothes they wear, or how sexually active they are. They are raped because the rapist needs power over another person. Due to his comments about Jennifer Moore, I believe that Bill O'Reilly does not understand this simple fact. He does not understand that at no time does a person, or women in particular, deserve or are asking to be raped because they are wearing a tube top, or a mini-skirt.

I am signing this petition because I am a woman, and I am deeply offended. I am fortunate enough that I have never been sexually assaulted, but this does not mean I am blind to the pain of others. Bill O'Reilly is a horrible decision, one that will do nothing but alienate rape survivors.

# 890:

6:53 pm PDT, Mar 11, Deborah Black, Illinois

# 889:

6:41 pm PDT, Mar 11, Name not displayed, California
There is no excuse for rape, and the victim is NEVER to blame.

# 888:

5:22 pm PDT, Mar 11, Name not displayed, United Kingdom

# 887:

3:47 pm PDT, Mar 11, Name not displayed, New York

# 886:

3:13 pm PDT, Mar 11, Mary Pagana, Florida
I can't believe that such a terrible critic of women who have been rape and child abuse survivors is scheduled to speak at this event! Please, Please reconsider this invitation. I am sure the Foundation can find someone even on short notice who is much more appropriate to speak.

If someon such as Bill O'Reilly who blames the victim who has been raped is allowed to speak at this event, then where to we stand in the already patriarchial court systemes in bringing attention to rape being a violent crime and not a sexual act?

# 885:

2:50 pm PDT, Mar 11, Gianofer Fields, Illinois

# 884:

2:07 pm PDT, Mar 11, Jonathan Swiller, New York
Blaming the victim is never acceptable.

# 883:

1:58 pm PDT, Mar 11, Cary Friedman, California

# 882:

1:42 pm PDT, Mar 11, Melanie Hess, Wisconsin

# 881:

1:29 pm PDT, Mar 11, Name not displayed, Illinois

# 880:

1:26 pm PDT, Mar 11, Avinash Persaud, Florida

# 879:

12:30 pm PDT, Mar 11, Sandra Oyas, Arizona
I am a victim a rape and can not believe how after Bill said a woman who was raped asked for it is unbelievable.This is thinking from the 18th century. I know he sometimes says things that he doesn't always believe but there is no EXCUSE for this. Has he been raped? unless he is going there to apologize for what he said or speak of how it is NOT the victums fault it is unacceptable. I have suffered 40 years with this and to say I asked for it is so SICK on his part.

# 878:

12:18 pm PDT, Mar 11, Debbi Pantaleo, Illinois

# 877:

6:27 am PDT, Mar 11, Amber Forbus, North Carolina
While I applaud the efforts of It Happened to Alexa, it is simply outrageous that Bill O'Reilly will be associated in any manner with an advocacy group for victims of sexual violence. O'Reilly has been very up front about how he feels about women. Whether he is sexually harassing women he knows or blaming women and children for their role in being victimized, he is always clear that he is very supportive of sexual violence. Another organization might be able to justify inviting Mr. O'Reilly to speak, say a group lobbying for shorter sentences for rapists. But, a group whose work is as important as yours must not involve O'Reilly on any level. He is a nationally recognizable misogynist. Please withdraw his invitation and stand up for those who need your help. Standing up for survivors, especially in a loud and public way, is the only way to empower them to stand up for themselves.

# 876:

8:46 pm PDT, Mar 10, Susan Ferrin, Oregon
It is an insult to all rape victims to allow Mr. O'Reilly to speak at this event, given his previous statements about a rape victim and how she was moronic and asking for it.

# 875:

5:24 pm PDT, Mar 10, Name not displayed, Brazil
In my country, we usually invite people who can relate to the cause, not people who have fun and make a lot of money doing that exact opposite. In my perspective, inviting Bill O'Reilly is a major disrespect to all rape victims. So, my question is: what were you thinking?

# 873:

4:24 pm PDT, Mar 10, Jay Ratford, California
Bill O'Reilly is only causing this country to be more divided by instigating anger and hatred towards all groups of people. His show and the rest of Fox news is the most Biased news programs I have ever seen. Why should he be allowed to speak this crap, and insight more hatred and violence in America. Nobody Wants/Needs to hear it!

# 872:

3:40 pm PDT, Mar 10, Mike Cashman, Massachusetts
I believe that by inviting Bill O'Reilly to speak at their event they are being very insensitive. If helping rape victims is their real goal then they should definitely withdraw the invitation.

# 871:

1:18 pm PDT, Mar 10, Juan Carlos Isais, California

# 870:

12:38 pm PDT, Mar 10, Name not displayed, Florida
please withdraw this invitation, although i'm sure it will bring unwanted attention to this groups good work. dont give him (the media) the opportunity to get a foothold in the general public's mind that his opinions of victims is even worth the time of day. it would an invitation to more victimization. thankyou

# 869:

12:37 pm PDT, Mar 10, Name not displayed, Kansas

# 868:

12:36 pm PDT, Mar 10, Name not displayed, Arizona

# 867:

12:23 pm PDT, Mar 10, Douglas Wilkey, Arizona
Please do not offend survivors of violence with an appearance by Bill O'Reilly. He is sexist and offensive--and is no friend to your cause--rather he is a detriment to it. Please do the honorable (and sensible) thing of removing him.

# 866:

11:17 am PDT, Mar 10, Michael Dudley, Massachusetts
It is insanity beyond description to have this lunatic speak for, to or on behalf of rape victimes.

# 865:

10:18 am PDT, Mar 10, Diana W�jcik, Poland

# 864:

9:03 am PDT, Mar 10, Ashley Adkins, Kentucky
Bill O' Reilly pretending to care about the safety of women is an insult to the intelligence of anyone in attendance.

# 863:

8:51 am PDT, Mar 10, Melisa Rollins, Florida
Bill O'Reilly is the LAST person to speak about victims when he has created many of his own. He has blamed many victims for either liking being kidnapped so he did not have to go to school to rape victims deserved what they got. He is a disgrace!!!!!!

# 862:

7:57 am PDT, Mar 10, Carter Siebke, Nebraska
I serve on the board of our local domestic violence shelter, run an alternative high school for atrisk students, and am an instructor for a therepeutic horseback riding program. I have seen the results of the abuse of women and children and have often been amazed by the ignorance of some people when it comes to the issues of violence against women and children. By allowing this individual to speak at your event, you are legitimizing his past comments and reinforcing his ideas to the ignorant.

# 861:

7:20 am PDT, Mar 10, Name not displayed, Tennessee

# 860:

7:05 am PDT, Mar 10, Diane Champe, Maryland
I find it interesting that people who do nothing to promote wellness, kindness, or support for the tens of millions of adult survivors of abuse can get all the attention in the world by the national media, but there seems to be no interest by the media in developing intelligent reporting on the real issues. Bill O'Reilly is just another example of someone who gets paid a lot to sensationalize issues rather than promote healing. I hope the Alexa Foundation will reconsider and withdraw their invitation.

# 859:

4:05 am PDT, Mar 10, Name not displayed, California

# 858:

1:58 am PDT, Mar 10, Name not displayed, Michigan
What was your organization thinking by extending an invitation to someone like Bill O'reilly? Did your staff not do any research about his stance on rape and sexually abuse (he blames the victims by the way)? Did no one in your organization not take the time to at least listen to one of his programs (which are usually filled with hate and sexist, bigoted remarks) before tossing his name on an invitation? Or research his own sketchy history of sexual harassment? How is anyone to take your group seriously if allow this. It does not matter if he is only there to talk about the color of his shoes or how to bake a perfect apple pie just his presence alone is enough to turn all your hard work in to a late night joke. Please do not shame yourselves by allowing him to attend, something this like could tarnish all the good you have accomplished and all the good you could still do.

Do you have a personal reason for wanting to sign this petition? We would be grateful if you would consider sharing a summary of your story here (we reserve the right to edit for brevity).

# 857:

11:22 pm PDT, Mar 9, Melanie Johnson, Australia

# 856:

6:47 pm PDT, Mar 9, Joyce Quilla, California
Bill O'reilly is most definately a "victim-blamer" and has no business anywhere near a fundraiser for rape survivors. Allowing him to speak at such a function is completely outrageous.

# 855:

6:41 pm PDT, Mar 9, Name not displayed, California
Bill O'Reilly basically needs to realize there are many viewers that notice his anti-woman, chauvunistic stance. Maybe if his wife or daughter were sexually assaulted he would have a different opinion. He also needs some anger management. Florida doesn't need any more propoganda thrown at them. M.

# 854:

6:29 pm PDT, Mar 9, Sura Amreen, Massachusetts
I am extremely disappointed that the Alexa foundation, who's supposed to be on the side of the victims is letting someone like Bill O'Reilly, who has a reputation for blaming the rape victim including unhealthy fascinations with women's and even 15 year old girls' mid section (namely Miley Sirrus) and has paid up millions for sexually harassing women at his workplace, give a speech at their luncheon. I think what they're doing is shameful. The Alexa foundation may think that they're helping by selling tickets to his speech but they are not helping anyone by giving this person a platform to speak at their event. By the way, the "Click to watch Alexa's story" on their webpage never works either plus their application for help (which can only be up to $3000) asks the rape victim a lot of questions including her relationship with the accused and also says, " Please describe the incident in as much detail as possible." They're clear that they only even consider the application if there is an indictment and they should know how hard it is for a rape victim to recount "details" of the attack. It really makes me question their motive - do they really want to help victims or is it something else? Is there a very sick person with this foundation who's even more sick than Bill O'Reilly who likes to read the "incident in as much detail as possible" in exchange for just a couple of thousand dollars?

# 853:

4:46 pm PDT, Mar 9, Billy Slane, California
O'Reilly and the foundation should be ashamed of themselves

O'Reilly is an evil, pathological liar and shouldn't even be on national television

# 852:

2:52 pm PDT, Mar 9, Name not displayed, Alaska
Bill O is a rapist of the American intellect, and it is disgusting to have him as a speaker to his own victims. He is one of the most ignorant and hipocritical people to ever be allowed to speak his mind and I hope that he is not honored in any way by these victims. Is he doing this for court ordered community service?

# 851:

12:49 pm PDT, Mar 9, Ladd Ryan, New York

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