LOS ANGELES, CA -- Isaiah Washington appeared
in a public service announcement (PSA) intended to combat intolerance
based on sexual orientation, race and gender Thursday on ABC during two
back-to-back episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
The PSA is the result of a January meeting with Neil G. Giuliano,
president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and
Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian &
Straight Education Network (GLSEN), during which the actor apologized
for his use of an anti-gay slur.
At the January meeting, Washington acknowledged the harm he had caused
by his use of the epithet and expressed an interest in taking steps,
such as appearing in this PSA, to combat prejudice and intolerance faced
by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The PSA
was produced by ABC.
"Words have power, and far too often we see them used to dehumanize
people because of our differences," Giuliano said. "When Isaiah
Washington lends his voice to that message — when he acknowledges the
personal responsibility that he and each of us have to create a culture
that rejects prejudice — it advances the kind of dialogue that’s
absolutely essential to changing hearts and minds. We are gratified that
with this PSA, ABC will be sharing this vital message with millions of
viewers in the days and weeks to come."
"As an education organization, GLSEN believes in the power of the
teachable moment," Jennings added. "While there is no excuse for the use
of this kind 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."
The script for Washington's PSA reads:
"Words have power. The power to express love, happiness and joy. They
also have the power to heal. When you use words that demean a person
because of their sexual orientation, race or gender, you send a message
of hate. A very powerful message. But we all have the power to demand
better from one another and from ourselves. We have the power to heal
and change the world by the words we use."
It remains to be seen if Washington's efforts to mend fences after his
homophobic outbursts have been successful enough to save him from being
booted off the ABC hit show.
According to EOnline TV reporter Kristin Veitch, Washington will not
return to the series next season, "I've now heard from various reliable
sources that Isaiah has been taking meetings in New York and Los Angeles
in search of a new job that would take place during the coming TV
season, so it certainly appears that Isaiah's Grey's days are over.
Insiders at ABC tell me "not everyone will be coming back" to Grey's
this fall, and although T.R. Knight's fate was also left hanging in the
balance after the season finale, I'm hearing that he's gonna be back but
like I said, Isaiah looks to be a goner."
The PSA is the result of a January meeting with Neil G. Giuliano,
president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and
Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian &
Straight Education Network (GLSEN), during which the actor apologized
for his use of an anti-gay slur. 
The Hunk
