01/24/2007
Report: Isaiah Washington Checks into Treatment Center
I wasn't aware they had rehab centers for bigots but Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington entered a "residential treatment facility" this morning, according to Life & Style Weekly.
According to their source: "ABC has told him he must enter a program to examine why he would say such hateful words."
Maybe some permanent time off would help Washington examine his words more closely.
UPDATE:
Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and Isaiah Washington release statements.
Rhimes:
"I speak for all the executive producers here at Grey's Anatomy when I say that Isaiah Washington's use of such a disturbing word was a shocking and dismaying event that insulted not only gays and lesbians everywhere but anyone who has ever struggled for respect in a world that is not always accepting of difference.
We’ve been working within the Grey’s family as well as with ABC and Touchstone Television to address the issue in a way that underscores the gravity of the situation while giving us all a foundation for healing. We applaud and encourage Isaiah's realization that he needs help and his subsequent choice to seek immediate treatment for his behavioral issues.
We appreciate the support the fans have always given our show, particularly during this stressful time. Creatively, we continue to strive to make the best television we can with the hope that our show reflects the talent, hard work and professionalism of our cast and crew."
Washington:
"With the support of my family and friends, I have begun counseling. I regard this as a necessary step toward understanding why I did what I did and making sure it never happens again. I appreciate the fact that I have been given this opportunity and I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally."
Read: Isaiah not getting fired.
Posted 2:33 PM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Slurs, Isaiah Washington, News, T.R. Knight | Permalink
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I got a parking ticket last week... I wonder if a trip to rehab would make it go away.
Posted by: Dave | Jan 24, 2007 3:58:35 PM
So the pattern with celebrities seems to be: make a public display and insult a minority group, deny insult, apologize half-heartedly for said insult, followed by a final admission of personal troubles and admittance into a "treatment" facility. If Isaiah Washinton is not held accountable for his actions and released from his ABC contract and work in Grey's Anatomy, then this situation will not improve. In the end, the vicious cycle keeps turning and no one seems to be getting off this merry-go-round...
Posted by: Cory | Jan 24, 2007 4:01:16 PM
Why hasn't GLAAD grown some balls and decided to actually become a useful device of change rather than to give awards to lame homos like Reichen and demand that Washington be FIRED?!
or maybe they have and I don't know about it?
Posted by: HUGO | Jan 24, 2007 4:05:59 PM
Because of the systematic attempt at enslaving or eradicating African and Jewish people, offensive words used against them carry more weight than any word intended to harm us as gay people. There's not the same history attached to "faggot," and therefore Washington's slur is not in the same ballpark as Michael Richards' or Mel Gibson's. C'mon people, let's get a little bit of a historical perspective here and develop a thicker skin. Washington has probably faced far more discrimination in his life as black man than I have as a white, gay man.
Posted by: Dale | Jan 24, 2007 4:06:24 PM
poop on that show anyways: i hate it.
Posted by: Rami | Jan 24, 2007 4:06:42 PM
Making racial remarks about Isaiah Washington is essentially doing exactly what Isaiah did. If there's no excuse for the F word then there's no excuse for the N word. And anyone who uses them can go straight to H word.
Posted by: Bernie | Jan 24, 2007 4:06:45 PM
What kind of residential treatment center addresses pure hatred and anger? As far as I know the only residential treatment centers in the US are for children OR for eating disorders or addiction. I'm assuming he has a drug or alcohol problem. I just don't how snakes try to get out of trouble by going to rehab. I spent 4 months in rehab and I would be offended if someone showed up just to make nice on the PR front. People in residential treatment facilities for drugs and alcohol work hard when they are in there and for someone to show up, because it would be a strategic move to correct something idiotic that they did, is atrocious.
Posted by: Phil | Jan 24, 2007 4:08:39 PM
Dale, just admit you want to suck Washington's cock.
Posted by: Pump | Jan 24, 2007 4:12:01 PM
Oh nevermind, on GLAAD's website, you can read their latest press release in which the President of GLAAD, Neil Guiliano is quoted as saying,
""We are pleased to see Isaiah seeking help to deal with the issues he alluded to in his public statements and in our meeting with him this past Monday."
I, for one, don't want to make amends with Mr. Washington. Saying faggot should be treated with the same disdain as the words nigger, spic, and kyke. I think as a community we should demand his departure because even thoughI understand the value of forgiveness, our country still views homophobia as a defensible transgression, and that needs to stop.
Posted by: HUGO | Jan 24, 2007 4:12:19 PM
Dale, WHAT?! One form of hatred is not anymore defensible than another. Are you a Republican?
Posted by: HUGO | Jan 24, 2007 4:14:18 PM
James, it doesn't make his use of the word ok but it does confirm my belief that most people here are just hypocrites.
Posted by: Mike Haddad | Jan 24, 2007 4:22:27 PM
Mike,
Why are people hypocrites? Explain please.
peace
Posted by: James | Jan 24, 2007 4:27:05 PM
Someone please fire Thomas!!!!!! What an asswipe!
A bigot's a bigot's a bigot!
Posted by: dcguy | Jan 24, 2007 4:27:38 PM
Dale,
Why don't you head over to Nigeria and see how that bullshit logic flies! They'll have your faggot ass strung up so fast you won't know what hit you!
Posted by: dcguy | Jan 24, 2007 4:30:32 PM
Hey Dale,
What about Spic or Chink? I guess it's okay to say that. Latinos and Chinese people just need to develop thicker skins, huh?
Posted by: Marco | Jan 24, 2007 4:31:04 PM
Andy,
what is it about your site writing that positions your site as a magnet for homo-racists?
I still fail to see the necessary placement of race in this issue. And even if all of your "if he said 'the n word" arguments were to be taken with a grain of salt, remember Mel Gibson went on an anti-Jewish tirade and his latest movie opened at #1 (granted it quickly sunk thereafter) and "Kramer" as well takes an anti-Black tirade public and Seinfeld's on late-night TV defending him. We dont' live in a some totalitarian world where the minute a racial epithet is uttered, heads roll.
and unfortunately, obviously, the same can be said for homophobic epithets.
furthermore, it's really, really, REALLY disheartening and sad to see so many gay people (who should know better) so casual to be seen as racists.
Posted by: Derrick | Jan 24, 2007 4:42:22 PM
Dale, the word "faggot" is also used to describe a bundle of sticks to be used as kindling, historically used to start a bonfire within which undesirable people (including homosexuals) would be burned at the stake. As far as your claim that homosexual people haven't been enslaved or eradicated, I rather think that the gay men and lesbians who died in German concentration camps would disagree with you. One reason why you might not have realized that homosexuals have been persecuted just as much as other minority groups is that our persecution, unlike that of Jewish people or African-Americans, is still socially acceptable to a large number of Americans. In many other countries, it's not just acceptable to persecute homosexuals... it's mandated by law. Therefore we don't have the objective historical distance that we are just now beginning to have with other minority groups whose persecution (social, political, and otherwise) has become socially unacceptable behavior in Western industrial democracies.
Faggot, therefore, has a quite sinister origin that translates into a vile and menacing contemporary meaning. If we want to have an historical perspective on the use of pejorative language, we might want to start with the history of the oppression of our own kind.
Posted by: Brian | Jan 24, 2007 4:42:46 PM
Derrick, you're right that seeing so many gay people casually showing their deep-seated racism is disheartening. I'd go further and call it disgusting.
It just goes to show that being a member of a persecuted minority doesn't mean that one is going to be more sensitive to the fair treatment of others. Folks who think Washington should have been more fair-minded than his white counterparts need only look at this comment thread to see that bigotry is alive and well even among the oppressed. When a bigot belongs to a minority group, it's often refreshing to see another group that's even less socially acceptable than yours is... the idea being "well at least I'm not a FAGGOT"...
Sad. Terribly sad.
Posted by: Brian | Jan 24, 2007 4:46:45 PM
EXACTLY, Brian. Thank you.
What's almost just as sad is the fact that they air out their racist dirty laundry on this site, burdening an otherwise well maintained, informative gay info source.
Posted by: Derrick | Jan 24, 2007 4:50:57 PM
Oh, I think that these comments do just as much to keep us informed as the non-bigoted ones... they keep us humble and remind us that while we work to eradicate homohatred and misogynistic behavior, we have some bigotry to address in our own house as well. A little vigilance in this area will go a long way...
Posted by: Brian | Jan 24, 2007 4:57:41 PM
DERRICK
You can see that ANDY removed the post by THOMAS. I notified him as soon as I saw it. Anyone here who sees any offensive remarks should notify ANDY right away, he is always good with removing them. As a GWM I am often saddend to see any kind of bigorty towards anyone, especially fellow gay people on this site. I'm sure you know that they are in the minority.
As for Mr. Washington, I still hope that they fire him. I'm all for forgiveness, but only when I feel it is sincere, and he does not appear to be by his past actions. I plan on taping the show and listing all the companies that advertise, with contact information. Let them know how we feel. Money does not talk, it screams.
Posted by: patrick nyc | Jan 24, 2007 5:15:46 PM
His statement says that he's going into counseling, not rehab.
Posted by: Jim | Jan 24, 2007 5:17:41 PM
One thing that bothers me about all this is that in addition to popping the F-word, Washington lied through his teeth in several Golden Globe interviews, attempting to make TR Knight look like he had exaggerated the serioussness of the charge.
Even more perplexing is that Washington's hateblurt eclipsed the fact that he physically assaulted another member of the cast while he was at it. If that ain't grounds to get your ass fired what's a little verbal savaging among co-workers?
I really like this show but I may have to stop watching since I'm doing serious damage to my teeth by the grinding that starts every time Washington's face appears on the screen.
Posted by: Larry | Jan 24, 2007 5:24:12 PM
I am so tired of this story and the repulsive responses it gets on this site.
Posted by: brucie | Jan 24, 2007 5:24:34 PM
Perhaps Dale should join Mr. Washington in rehab. He might learn something. It's unfortunate that some people seem to think this story of no consequence. But these hateful words are deadly and as the gentleman from GLAAD said, they are often the last thing a gay person hears before being attacked, beaten and/or killed. We must take a stand and speak up for ourselves when this happens.
Posted by: miss dna | Jan 24, 2007 5:34:56 PM