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Gene Shalit steps up! :)

This was just released by GLAAD and i’m thrilled:

GLAAD ALERT UPDATE

January 10, 2006

GLAAD Applauds Shalit’s Response

Today show reviewer regrets Brokeback comment

On Jan. 5, Gene Shalit, in his review of “Brokeback Mountain” on NBC News’ Today show, referred to the character of Jack as a “sexual predator” who “tracks Ennis down and coaxes him into sporadic trysts.” Based on an outpouring of passionate emails and phone calls by Today show viewers angered and hurt by Mr. Shalit’s assertion, GLAAD asked for an apology from NBC and Mr. Shalit for a comment that was certainly heard by many as defamatory.

On January 10, Mr. Shalit responded to GLAAD’s request for an apology with a statement saying, “In describing the behavior of ‘Jack’ I used words (’sexual predator’) that I now discover have angered, agitated, and hurt many people. I did not intend to use a word that many in the gay community consider incendiary. . . I certainly had no intention of casting aspersions on anyone in the gay community or on the community itself. I regret any emotional hurt that may have resulted from my review of ‘Brokeback Mountain.’”

GLAAD thanks and applauds Mr. Shalit for clarifying his comments and making clear in his statement that his words were not intended to be defamatory to the LGBT community.

To read Mr. Shalit’s statement in its entirety, go to glaad.org or click here:

http://www.glaad.org/action/alerts_detail.php?id=3849

The man has a lot of class for standing up and issuing a statement like this. He may not have liked the movie or Jack’s character and thats fine - its his job as a critic to make such calls. But his choice of words was poor and its really classy of him to say as much…

Woo hoo… Go Gene..

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