Frank Micelotta/Getty Images, Alex J. Berliner/BEImagesUPDATE: Later Tuesday, Perez Hilton summed up his indignation over what happened between him and will.i.am, basically concluding that violence should never be condoned, ever—even when the alleged victim is known for his fightin' words.
"Words can hurt. I know that very well, from both sides of the fence," began the the notoriously catty gossiper's lengthy statement.
"I was in an out-of-the ordinary situaton and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances. My intention—however misguided it may have been—was to stand up for myself and tell this belligerent man that I had enough of his badgering and was not going to continue to let him berate and intimidate me. I wanted to hurt him with the word I chose, not anyone else. Unfortunately, the one who got hurt was me and, subsequently, a lot of other people. I wish none of it had happened.
"I've come to terms with all my incongruities and am proud of who I am and what I do. In closing, words can hurt. But words should not provoke someone to violence. Stripped away from the mask of Perez Hilton, I have been extremely bothered by the public reaction to my assault. Violence should never be condoned with such statements as 'It's karma' or 'I don't believe in violence but…' In fact, several television and radio shows over the past couple of days echoed the sentiment, 'He had it coming.' Would they have said the same thing if I was a woman? Would I have 'deserved it' if I had been stabbed? Or shot? Or killed?
"There are many ways to deal with disagreements, both good and bad, but violence is never the answer. Never. I now know that firsthand. It should not be condoned, promoted or accepted. No one 'deserves' to be the victim of violence. No one 'has it coming.' NO ONE. And victims should not be ridiculed."
__________
What to do if GLAAD can't rely on Hollywood's self-proclaimed gossip queen to avoid the F-word?
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is none too pleased with blogger Perez Hilton for mixing a few antigay slurs into his diatribe against Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.
"I don't need to respect you, and you're a f-g. You're gay, and stop being such a f----t," the openly gay Hilton said in a videoblog response to reports of a fight between him and the hip-hop singer last night in Toronto.
"These are vulgar antigay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community," said Rashad Robinson, senior director of Media Programs at GLAAD. "For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person by saying that it is 'The worst possible thing that thug would ever want to hear,' is incredibly dangerous.
"It legitimizes use of a slur that is often linked to violence against our community. And it sends a message that it is OK to attempt to dehumanize people by exploiting antigay attitudes."
Hilton maintains that he was was roughed up by will.i.am and the Peas' tour manager, Polo Molina. Molina, 36, has been charged with one count of assault and ordered to appear in court Aug. 5.
The "Boom Boom Pow" singer said in his own video post that he did not hit Hilton but rather was just coming to Fergie's defense, claiming the celeb-dirt shoveler had disrespected his bandmate.
"This dude twists it and says that I assaulted him," will.i.am said. "When I was the one that came to him with respect and he was the one who called me a [f-----t] outside the club."
Now GLAAD is calling upon Hilton to admit to his mistake.
"We have reached out to Hilton and asked him to apologize for promoting this antigay slur, and we would ask media outlets to avoid repetition of the slur in their coverage of this story," Robinson said.
But it's not as if the GLAAD folk think, no matter how inappropriate Hilton's reponse, that the blogger deserved to get hit.
"While not all the facts in this case are known, the violence that appears to have been committed against Perez Hilton is unacceptable and ought to be condemned in the strongest possible terms," Robinson added.
Hilton twittered earlier today that he was "honestly SHOCKED at the amount of people saying [he] deserved to be hit.
"Shame on you! NO. Violence is never the answer. NEVER."
In a statement to E! News, Hilton says: "I am saddened GLAAD chose to victimize me further by criticizing me for how I nonviolently dealt with a very scary situation that, unfortunately, turned violent. While I doubt I will get an apology from GLAAD, nor do I expect one, I would just hope people know how difficult it is to intellectualize a situation and think rationally when a thug disguised as a musician is screaming at your face and intimidating you. I am just very fortunate and grateful that nothing more serious happened to me...
He also notes that he is a "proud" former GLAAD staffer.
(Originally published June 22, 2009, at 5:20 p.m. PT)