John Wayne’s son responds to resolution calling for John Wayne Airport to be renamed

John Wayne’s son is speaking out after California Democrats in Orange County recently demanded that the county’s John Wayne Airport be renamed and all likenesses of Wayne be removed from the airport, over “racist and bigoted statements” made by the American icon decades ago.

The resolution, which passed on Friday, is asking the county's board of supervisors to restore the name to Orange County Airport.

In a statement to Fox News on Monday, Ethan Wayne said: "Let me make one thing clear -- John Wayne was not a racist. I know that term is casually tossed around these days, but I take it very seriously. I also understand how we got to this point.

"There is no question that the words spoken by John Wayne in an interview 50 years ago have caused pain and anger," Ethan continued, referencing the late actor’s 1971 interview with Playboy. "They pained him as well, as he realized his true feelings were wrongly conveyed."

In the interview at the time, Wayne is quoted saying, “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.” He also said he felt no remorse for the subjugation of Native Americans and called movies such as “Easy Rider” and “Midnight Cowboy” perverted.

Ethan, who is Wayne's youngest son and president of John Wayne Enterprises, went on to say in his statement on Monday: "The truth is, as we have seen in papers from his archives, he did not support 'white supremacy' in any way and believed that responsible people should gain power without the use of violence.

"Those who knew him, knew he judged everyone as an individual and believed everyone deserved an equal opportunity," Ethan added. "He called out bigotry when he saw it. He hired and worked with people of all races, creeds, and sexual orientations. John Wayne stood for the very best for all of us -- a society that doesn’t discriminate against anyone seeking the American dream."

Ethan said that it "would be an injustice to judge him based on a single interview, as opposed to the full picture of who he was."

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