GLAAD has accepted an apology from
actor Alec Baldwin over anti-gay remarks he made toward George Stark,
a reporter for the Daily Mail.
When Stark accused Baldwin's wife of
tweeting during the funeral for actor James Gandolfini, Baldwin
called on his 1 million Twitter followers to “straighten out”
Stark, calling him a “toxic little queen” and a “lying little
bitch.”
“If [sic] put my foot up your fucking
ass, George Stark, but I'm sure you'd dig it too much,” Baldwin
tweeted.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper noted the
muted reaction: “Why does #AlecBaldwin get a pass when he uses gay
slurs? If a conservative talked of beating up a 'queen' they would
be vilified.”
In
an apology issued through GLAAD, Baldwin cited his track record
on gay rights.
“My ill-advised attack on George
Stark of the Daily Mail had absolutely nothing to do with
issues of anyone's sexual orientation,” Baldwin wrote. “My anger
was directed at Mr. Stark for blatantly lying and disseminating
libelous information about my wife and her conduct at our friend's
funeral service. As someone who fights against homophobia, I
apologize.”
GLAAD's Rich Ferraro accepted Baldwin's
apology, calling him an “ally.”
“Alec Baldwin is making it clear that
the intent behind his tweets does not excuse his language, especially
at a time when there were 11 incidents of violence against gay men in
New York City just last month,” Ferraro wrote. “As we all work
to end such senseless acts of violence, allies like Baldwin are right
to use these moments to reinforce support for the community and LGBT
equality.”
The Daily Mail has taken down
Stark's post and Baldwin has deleted his Twitter account.