Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington's public
service announcement combating intolerance based on sexual
orientation, race, and gender will air Thursday
night during back-to-back episodes of the
ABC show. Washington agreed to do the PSA after
meeting in January with Neil Giuliano, president of
the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and
Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay,
Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. At the
meeting, Washington apologized for the antigay slur he used
in reference to costar T.R. Knight on the set of
Grey's Anatomy in October and again at the Golden
Globe Awards in January.
"As an education
organization, GLSEN believes in the power of the
teachable moment," Jennings said in a press release issued
Thursday. "While there is no excuse for this type of
language, we welcome the opportunity to use this
incident to educate millions about the impact of
name-calling on young people. We are grateful to ABC for
bringing GLSEN's message of respect to millions of
households."
After news of the
on-set outburst was leaked, Knight came out publicly as
gay to People magazine and later appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about his
experience. He is featured on the cover of The
Advocate's Pride issue, on stands now. (The
Advocate)