Isaiah Washington to star in discrimination ad
An actor who caused a storm by using the word ‘faggot’ during an on-set argument is to make a public service announcement on behalf of two gay rights organisations.
Isaiah Washington, star of medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, is to record the message for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network.
He called co-star TR Knight a faggot during an on-set confrontation last October, but at the Golden Globes in January he denied the incident had occurred.
After the ceremony, where the show won best drama, he said to journalists, “No, I did not call TR a faggot. Never happened, never happened.”
GLAAD then demanded that Washington apologise for using the word again when denying he used it in the first place.
The actor then signalled his desire to put the controversy behind him by co-operating with GLAAD and GLSEN.
“We’re gonna have – I want to say at least two versions of it at this point. We may broaden our message a little,” the actor’s publicist, Howard Bragman, told AP yesterday.
TR Knight came out of the closet to People Magazine, after reports of the on-set argument.
“There have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I’d like to quiet any unnecessary rumours that may be out there. While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me,” he said.