GLAAD has issued another statement in response to the near-apology that Perez issued yesterday. And GLAAD’s statement says pretty much what I was thinking yesterday — a near-apology is nice, a real apology would be better. From GLAAD:
“First and foremost it is important to remember that the violence committed against Perez Hilton is absolutely unacceptable and ought to be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” said Rashad Robinson, Senior Director of Media Programs at GLAAD.
“Perez Hilton’s acknowledgement that words can hurt is an important step in the right direction, and while his change of tone is welcome, he still seems to be justifying the use of the slurs,” said Robinson. “A statement that stops short of apologizing for and disavowing the use of that slur doesn’t get us where we need to be – these are vulgar anti-gay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance that continues to put our community in harm’s way. When someone from our community uses a far-reaching media platform to promote these kinds of slurs, it sends a message that it’s OK to use these dehumanizing words.”
“This is an important moment. Now that Perez Hilton has acknowledged that words can hurt, GLAAD calls on him to take this opportunity to reflect on his use of demeaning and defamatory language against many different communities on PerezHilton.com – not as Perez Hilton, but as Mario Lavandeira, an openly gay man who just went through a scary and traumatic experience.”
A reader reminded me of that Perez was one of the leading voices calling for an apology from Isaiah Washington when the actor used the word “faggot.”
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