Isaiah Washington
PSA to air on ABC tonight

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)