The ABCs of Isaiah

So Isaiah Washington was fired for using a gay slur. I guess I get to comment on this because I'm gay too. At least that's what my co-worker thought when she asked my opinion. I'm a Grey's Anatomy fan. I don't like to admit it that much, but one of the reasons for my newest t.v. addiction was the relationship between Isaiah Washington and Sandra Oh (a.k.a. Burke and Wang). They were a respite from the annoying whining of the title character, Meredith Grey.

But I'm not posting a critique of the t.v. show. I want to talk about the incident which led to Isaiah Washington's departure. The slur was uttered sometime in October. Several cast members were interviewed on various talk shows and Isaiah denied using the slur. I assume he did use the slur. I think it's a good assumption. He's admitted needing some kind of "rehab" which I guess is Hollywood's newest way of trying to get out of being held accountable for stupid shit.

But the point is that he used the slur months ago. Months ago. If ABC was so offended by it, why wasn't he fired then? How convenient that months of perpetuated drama surrounded the show and then after the season ends, Isaiah is fired. Clearly, ABC milked all the free press it was getting out of the controversy and once the season was over, there was no need for him.

And if T.R. Knight hadn't been gay, no one would have cared that Isaiah said "faggot." It's just that he got caught saying it about a real gay person. Why aren't we asking for resignations when anyone uses that word to degrade someone? Because ABC doesn't really care. No one does. You can say anything you want, but don't put the network in an awkward position by saying in front of the actual slurred party.

This isn't about which words are okay to use and which ones aren't. This isn't even about the gay and lesbian community. Who is served by firing Isaiah? Is our cause furthered any? I don't think so. If we are to really move forward from bigotry, we have to have dialogue. Before Isaiah was fired, he said he was doing some soul searching and he scheduled a meeting with GLAAD. Dialogue. Now no one will talk about the meaning of the word "faggot" and why it is a hateful, sometimes violent, word.

If dialogue had occurred, we could have tackled a number of issues, like racism and homophobia. We could have made a new and strong ally for our cause. Instead, we've lost that opportunity. Who's the real winner here? ABC. They got a great season out of Isaiah and then they can look politically correct by firing him. Who loses? The rest of us because we achieved nothing. We didn't create an opportunity from this conflict. Again, we're put back in the closet not to be heard from again until someone utters the word "faggot" in front of a real life gay person.