Perez Hilton Apologizes For Slur, Sort Of

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During a heated confrontation with Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am over the weekend, gossip blogger Perez Hilton decided to call him the "worst possible thing that thug would ever want to hear." Unfortunately for him, that "thing" was an anti-gay slur, and that move has angered a powerful gay rights group.

The self-dubbed "Queen of All Media" initially resisted offering an apology - and in fact claimed it was the gay rights group, GLAAD, that should apologize to HIM. In a statement to TMZ, the former GLAAD employee said:

"I am saddened GLAAD chose to victimize me further by criticizing me for how I non-violently dealt with a very scary situation that, unfortunately, turned violent."

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Now Hilton has changed his tune. The blogger released a statement apologizing for his actions briefly, but also chastising the media for treating his assault lightly. The statement reads: "Words can hurt. I know that very well, from both sides of the fence. The other night in Toronto, after feeling physically threatened by a verbally abusive will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, I chose the most hurtful word I know to hurl at him. I was in an out-of-the ordinary situation and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances. I wanted to hurt him with the word I chose, not anyone else. Unfortunately, the one who got hurt was me and, subsequently, a lot of other people."

"I wish none of it had happened. I can't take it back. I did what I thought was best at the moment to stand up for myself in a non-violent yet still assertive way. Clearly, I am not homophobic. Also, I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a spokesperson for the gay community. I am just speaking for myself, a gay man."

Hilton adds that the media reaction to his assault has given him new perspective on reporting celebrity scandals. "I have been extremely bothered by the reaction to my assault," he writes. "Violence should never be condoned with such statements as 'It's Karma.' In fact, several television and radio shows over the past couple of days echoed the sentiment 'He had it coming'. Would they have said the same thing if I was a woman? Would I have 'deserved it' if I had been stabbed? "I leave this traumatic experience as a person with more compassion. Specifically, there was an instance last year when actor Jesse Metcalfe was attacked outside of a Hollywood nightclub by a fellow entertainer. I did not condone the violence, but I did make light of that situation. I regret that. Sincerely."

"These are vulgar anti-gay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community," Rashad Robinson, GLAAD's senior director of media programs, said in a statement on their Web site before Hilton offered his apology. "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."

Robinson said Hilton's actions "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 anti-gay attitudes."

In addition to outrage felt against Hilton's word choice, the organization also stresses that "the violence that appears to have been committed against Perez Hilton is unacceptable and ought to be condemned in the strongest possible terms."

Perez Hilton Snapshots

Blogger and television personality Perez Hilton rallies with gay marriage supporters after the California Court's ruling for Proposition 8 in West Hollywood, Calif. on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 26: Actress Emmy Rossum, (C) Perez Hilton and Kelly Osbourne attend a march following the California Supreme Court's ruling to uphold Proposition 8, on May 26, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. The California State Supreme Court voted 6-1 to uphold proposition 8 which makes it illegal for same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. More than 18,000 same-sex couples that wed before prop 8 was voted in will still be legally married. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Osbourne;Emmy Rossum;Perez Hilton

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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 26: (L-R) Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, comedienne Kathy Griffin and Griffin's mother Maggie attend the Prop 8 Rally on May 26, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kathy Griffin;Maggie Griffin;Perez Hilton

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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 26: Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton (L) and comedienne Kathy Griffin (R) attend the Prop 8 Rally on May 26, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Perez Hilton;Kathy Griffin

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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 26: Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton attends the Prop 8 Rally on May 26, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Perez Hilton

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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 26: Actress Emmy Rossum (L) and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton (R) attend the Prop 8 Rally on May 26, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Emmy Rossum;Perez Hilton

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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 26: (L-R) Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton (L) and comedienne Kathy Griffin (R) attend the Prop 8 Rally on May 26, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kathy Griffin;Perez Hilton

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HOLLYWOOD - MAY 20: Perez Hilton attends House Of Mollinari birthday extravaganza at h wood on May 20, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Perez Hilton

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Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton arrives at House of Mollinari Birthday Extravaganza at H Wood on May 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. House Of Mollinari Birthday Extravaganza H Wood Los Angeles, CA United States May 20, 2009 Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com To license this image (57502714), contact WireImage.com

Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com

2009-06-23 08:38:17

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