Perez Hilton has
responded to a statement issued by GLAAD condemning him for his
use of an antigay slur during a fight with will.i.am, Fergie,
and other members of the Black Eyed Peas Monday morning in
Toronto.
The Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation released a
statement
on Monday that censured gay blogger Perez Hilton for
his use of antigay slurs during an
alleged confrontation with will.i.am, Fergie, and
other members of the Black Eyed Peas early Monday morning in
Toronto.
Now the celebrity
blogger has responded.
"I am saddened
GLAAD chose to victimize me further by criticizing me for how I
nonviolently dealt with a very scary situation that,
unfortunately, turned violent," Hilton said in a
statement. "While I doubt I will get an apology
from GLAAD, nor do I expect one, I would just hope people know
how difficult it is to intellectualize a situation and think
rationally when a thug disguised as a musician is screaming at
your face and intimidating you. I am just very fortunate and
grateful that nothing more serious happened to me."
Hilton initially
claimed via Twitter that will.i.am punched him in the face,
although the band's manager, Polo Molina, later claimed
responsibility for the act and turned himself in to Toronto
police.
In a video Hilton
posted about the incident after the MuchMusic Awards, he said
that he "made the split-second decision"
to hurl the gay slurs because he believed they were
"the worst possible thing that thug [will.i.am] would ever
want to hear." Hilton said he told will.i.am,
"You're gay and stop being such a faggot."
While GLAAD condemned
the violence against Hilton as "unacceptable," the
organization devoted most of its statement to his use of the
antigay language.
"These are vulgar
antigay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance
toward our community," said Rashad Robinson, senior
director of media programs at GLAAD. "For someone in our own
community to use it to attack another person by saying that it
is, quote, 'The worst possible thing that thug would ever want
to hear,' is incredibly dangerous. It legitimizes use of a slur
that is often linked to violence against our community. And it
sends a message that it is OK to attempt to dehumanize people
by exploiting antigay attitudes."
GLAAD had asked Hilton
to apologize for his use of the slurs.
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