Juan Pablo Galavis, the star of ABC's
The Bachelor, has apologized for anti-gay remarks he made
during an interview with TheTVPage.com.
The 32-year-old former Venezuelan
soccer star said Friday that he would be opposed to the dating
reality show featuring a gay or bisexual bachelor looking for love.
“I don't think it is a good example
for kids to watch that on TV,” Galavis said.
“Obviously people have their husband
and wife and kids and that is how we are brought up. Now there is
[sic] fathers having kids and all that, and it is hard for me to
understand that too in the sense of a household having peoples. …
Two parents sleeping in the same bed and the kid going into bed. …
It is confusing in a sense. But I respect them because they want to
have kids. They want to be parents. So it is a scale. … Where do
you put it on the scale? Where is the thin line to cross or not?
You have to respect everybody's desires and way of living. But it
would be too hard for TV.”
The single dad noted that he has many
gay friends and co-workers. But TheTVPage.com also quoted Galavis as
saying that gays were “more pervert, in a sense.”
Galavis expanded on his remark in a
Facebook post published Saturday.
“What I meant to say was that gay
people are more affectionate and intense and for a segment of the TV
audience this would be too racy to accept. The show is very racy as
it is and I don't let my 5 year old daughter watch it,” he wrote.
In a follow-up statement released
through GLAAD, Galavis said that he knows “gay parents and I
support them and their families. They are good parents and loving
families.”
He said that he wants LGBT youth “to
know that it is fine to be who you are.” Galavis added that he
plans to meet with gay families.