By Ramy Eletreby

Grey's Washington Apologizes for “Faggot” Remark

Forget about Rosie vs. Trump, the latest Hollywood smack-down is between the public and Grey's Anatomy’s Isaiah Washington after the star told reporters backstage at the Golden Globes that he did not call co-star T.R. Knight a “faggot” during an altercation with co-star Patrick Dempsey last October.

While some back Washington’s denial about using the “F-word” during the allegedly physical fight with Dempsey, there is outrage over his easy use of the word before reporters. AfterElton asked, "If Knight had called Washington the N-word, wouldn't he be fired?” As IN goes to press, over 12,000 signatories to an online petition believe he should be.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), however, was more circumspect, calling only for an apology, which Washington offered after ABC issued a statement expressing its "great dismay" and saying that Washington's "actions are unacceptable and are being addressed."

Washington’s statement in full says: "I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show and especially the lesbian and gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance. By repeating the word Monday night, I marred what should have been a perfect night for everyone who works on Grey's Anatomy. I can neither defend nor explain my behavior. I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I've asked for help.

“I know the power of words, especially those that demean. I realize that by using one filled with disrespect I have hurt more than T.R. and my colleagues. With one word, I've hurt everyone who has struggled for the respect so many of us take for granted. I welcome the chance to meet with leaders of the gay and lesbian community to apologize in person and to talk about what I can do to heal the wounds I've opened.

“T.R.'s courage throughout this entire episode speaks to his tremendous character. I hold his talent, and T.R. as a person, in high esteem. I know a mere apology will not end this, and I intend to let my future actions prove my sincerity."

Washington is scheduled to meet with GLAAD, which to some is reminiscent of Mel Gibson’s meeting with Jewish leaders after his anti-Semetic tirade and with gays in 1992 after making anti-gay slurs to a Spanish paper. According to E! Online reporter Marc Malkin, Washington is also facing a sit-down with the entire Grey’s cast who apparently have other complaints about his behavior. On Oct. 22, 2006, TMZ.com reported that Washington has a history of angry on-set disputes.

On The View Jan. 19, Rosie O’Donnell put the controversy in context. “You’re allowed to discriminate against people if they’re gay. And it came out in a nasty word from this actor,” O’Donnell said. “But it comes from the president of the United States as well—you are not equal to someone else if you’re gay, you don’t have the same constitutional rights. It starts from the top.” - Karen Ocamb

Frat Pledge’s Body Defaced With Anti-Gay Epithets

The body of an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Texas at Austin who died in December 2005 was defaced with blackened toenails, drawings of naked men and women and the words “FAG,” “I’m gay” and “I AM FAT” scrawled in green and black marker, a medical examiner’s report revealed, according to the Advocate. Phanta “Jack” Phoummarath died after ingesting large amounts of alcohol at a fraternity pledge party for the Lambda Phi Epsilon house. Three fraternity members were recently indicted after the year-long investigation. Phoummarath’s family is suing the fraternity.

Maryland County to Include Homosexuality in Sex Education

Maryland’s Montgomery County recently revised its sex education curriculum to include introducing students in grades eight through 10 to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.

School systems in Maryland and Virginia are encouraged to write sex education lessons that conform to local community standards. All sex education curriculums are required to be reviewed by a citizens committee and allowed to be reviewed by families, who may then have their children opt out of the lessons.

In 2002, the Montgomery Citizens Advisory Committee on Family Life and Human Development recommended that sexual orientation be introduced to the health curriculum, noting that the regulatory code of Maryland advises school systems to teach “sexual variations.”

Lessons soon began which discussed sexual orientation in the context of tolerance and diversity but were met with strong resistance from parents. A petition with 3,700 signatures was collected to stop the curriculum, which was eventually halted by a judge in 2005. The revised curriculum, which had all religious references and other objectionable content removed, was approved unanimously by the Montgomery School Board on Jan. 9 and will undergo field tests this coming spring.

“Generation Next” More Accepting of Gay Rights

A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that Generation Next youth are more accepting and liberal-minded than their Generation X predecessors. According to the study, How Young People View Their Lives: A Portrait of Generation Next, 47 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 25 favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, as compared to 30 percent of those 26 and older favoring same-sex marriage. The study further shows that 58 percent of Next-ers say homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society.

Lawrence, Kan. Recognizes Partnerships

Lawrence is set to become the first city in Kansas to legally recognize domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. On Jan. 10, city commissioners voted to support a domestic partnership registry providing legal recognition to gay couples who cannot marry, reports the Lawrence Journal-World. The registry would provide domestic partners with documentation for employers who are willing to offer health-insurance benefits to employees’ partners. “I think this is an idea that doesn’t hurt anyone,” said City Commissioner Boog Highberger.

In 2005, Kansas University at Lawrence defied the state Board of Education and debunked the theory of creationism.

ACLU and Georgia School District Settle

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and school officials in White County, Ga., have reached a settlement agreement regarding a lawsuit filed on behalf of high school students from Peers Rising In Diverse Education (PRIDE), a gay-straight alliance (GSA) club that was refused permission to meet on campus. Shortly after the GSA formed in January 2005, the school eliminated all non-curricular clubs, which the lawsuit claimed violated the students’ rights under the federal Equal Access Act requiring schools to provide equal treatment to all non-curricular clubs.

In July 2006, a federal judge issued a permanent injunction against the school and allowed the GSA and other school clubs to meet. The settlement includes policies stating that harassment against LGBT students is not permitted on campus, and faculty must undergo annual training sessions on how to deal with and prevent anti-gay harassment.

National Transgender Activists Hold Religious Summit

Grasping that transgender people face misunderstanding and rejection by various faith communities, a coalition of transgender advocates and religious leaders held the first Transgender Religious Summit on Jan. 19-21 at The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. The event was co-sponsored by the Center and the National Center for Transgender Equality and the 50 invited participants included leaders from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and pagan communities.

“Religious communities have been waking up to the presence of the transgender reality in their community,” Erin Swenson, transgender minister in the Presbyterian Church and founder of the Southern Association for Gender Education (SAGE), told reporters on a conference call. She hopes the conference will help religious leaders see the balance between “accepting divine creation with self-creation” as a “real positive value.” - Karen Ocamb

Numbers As of 10:50 a.m., January 19, 2007:

U.S. Deaths in Iraq: 3,019 - 6 pending DoD confirmation
(http://icasualties.org)

Iraqi Dead since 2003: Between 54,196-59,850 (www.iraqbodycount.org)

Cost of War: $359,544,645,171+ (www.nationalpriorities.org)

National Debt: $8,674,759,753,292.13 (www.brillig.com/debt_clock)

U.S. Trade Deficit: $39,014,103,789.94+
(www.americaneconomicalert.org/ticker_home.asp)