Isaiah GLAAD to Educate Others

Thu., May. 24, 2007 6:34 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

The next words you hear from Isaiah Washington will be overwhelmingly positive and encouraging ones.

The embattled Grey's Anatomy star, whose future on the show is up in the air after what looked like a season-finale send off, has filmed a public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to air tonight on ABC during back-to-back repeats of the award-winning drama.

"Words have power. The power to express love, happiness and joy. They also have the power to heal," Washington says in the 30-second PSA, produced by ABC.

"When you use words to 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 of one another, and ourselves. We have the power to heal and change the world with the words we use."

An example of a word never to say: "Faggot," which is the epithet Washington dropped backstage at the Golden Globes in January as part of his response to a reporter's question about an on-set dustup that occurred back in October.

"No, I did not call T.R. a faggot," the 43-year-old NAACP Image Award winner said after E! Online's Ted Casablanca asked whether the Grey's cast had moved past an incident in which Washington reportedly directed that slur at T.R. Knight during a fight with costar Patrick Dempsey over punctuality.

That protestation turned out to be the biggest slipup of Washington's career, with ABC publicly castigating him, GLSEN and GLAAD requesting a meeting with him and costar Katherine Heigl bluntly saying that Washington's words were "not okay."

But although he can only say for sure that he thinks he'll be returning to Grey's Anatomy for a fourth season, Washington's reputation is on the up and up thanks to a sojourn in counseling and a series of seemingly heartfelt attempts at fence mending.

Heigl, for one, has forgiven him.

"I know that he was very ashamed and that was a necessary emotion to move forward and not backward," the 28-year-old actress told USA Today earlier this week. "His attitude and behavior and thought process needed to change, and the only way to do that is to be self-aware and honest. And I think he was. I have forgiven."

Taking the diplomatic road, Heigl focused on the incident's broader implications.

"I was ultimately grateful that it opened up a dialogue," she said. "To me, I wasn't making a political stand. I was making a stand about hurting people's feelings. It's very simple in my mind. You do not actively seek to hurt other people's feelings. I don't care what their sexual orientation, race or gender. You don't do that."

And if there's anyone who should know that now, it's Washington, whose face will be associated with the need for organizations like GLAAD and GLSEN for a long time to come.

"As an education organization, GLSEN believes in the power of the teachable moment," said GLSEN founder and executive director Kevin Jennings. "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."

"Words have power, and far too often we see them used to dehumanize people because of our differences," GLAAD president Neil Giuliano said, reiterating the message imparted in the PSA.

"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."