The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is urging its supporters to join a letter writing campaign targeting MSNBC and Chris Matthews, host of the cable network’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” for allowing to go unchallenged homophobic remarks made by author Ann Coulter on the July 27 show.

Matthews asked Coulter about a comment she made speculating that former President Bill Clinton might be gay, paving the way for what an anti-gay slur.

“He may or may not be gay,” said Coulter. “But Al Gore, total fag. No, I’m just kidding.”

After talking to Coulter for a few minutes, Matthews took calls from viewers. An unidentified female caller took issue with Coulter’s remark, saying, “I’m just wondering how you can call yourself a Christian or even look at yourself in the mirror and use words like the ones you’ve just used to describe Al Gore. Just curious.”

When Coulter asked which “biblical command” she violated by making a joke, the caller said, “I think pure hatred, spewing hateful rhetoric violates a lot of biblical commands.”

Cindi Creager, GLAAD’s director of national news, said that to his credit, Matthews did question Coulter about her “joke” but that he should have been more aggressive in following up. Creager said the real concern is that MSNBC gave a platform to someone known for making inflammatory statements and aired anti-gay slurs.

“I’ve had discussions with producers of the show,” she said. “I’ve got a commitment they will work toward fair, accurate and inclusive programming in the future. We felt they gave Coulter a pass, but when the LGBT community voiced its concerns we felt they took them seriously.”

THIS IS NOT the first time Matthews and MSNBC have been at the center of an anti-gay controversy. On the MSNBC show “Imus in the Morning,” Matthews referred to the movie “Brokeback Mountain” as “Bareback Mounting.” Host Don Imus responded with his own title, “Fudgepack Mountain.”

GLAAD’s recent alert to supporters asked why MSNBC would place its name on shows that allow anti-gay slurs.

“MSNBC’s refusal to confront and address on-air use of the word ‘fag’ — and its repeated willingness to provide a platform for crude expressions of bigotry — raises serious questions about the network’s standards and practices and, with regard to Matthews, the standards of conduct for its hosts,” the alert reads.

GLAAD was not the only voice of dissent concerning the Matthews-Coulter interview. Keith Olberman, host of “Countdown” on MSNBC, voiced his displeasure by naming Coulter the day’s “Worst Person in the World.”

“Having already used a homosexual slur to describe Al Gore and to suggest Bill Clinton is gay,” said Olberman, “why she has not been banned from this network I do not know.”

Jeremy Gaines, vice president of communications for MSNBC said in a telephone interview this week, “Just like many guests on our air, Ann Coulter’s views are not those of MSNBC.”

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