Brett Berk and the editors of Vanity Fair magazine have issued apologies for using the word “fag” in a recent online article about the popular musical television show Glee. The word has been removed from the piece, and GLAAD has since commended Vanity Fair for the “tone of respect” used in the printed retraction.
Berk, an openly gay columnist known for his flamboyant style, explains that he originally used the term “fag” in order to “confront and challenge stereotype.” He intended, he says, to “deconstruct the clever gender politics” he perceived in a recent scene from Glee in which conspicuously gay characters are ostensibly meant to appear “sexy” to female spectators. Berk offered a sincere apology to anyone offended by his use of the term and emphasized his position as a staunch defender of gay rights.
“I am, and have long been, a tireless agitator…for gay rights, as well as a huge supporter of everything Glee has accomplished in advancing a meaningful dialogue about homosexuality in our popular culture,” Berk concluded.
A statement from the Vanity Fair editors confirmed that Berk consistently writes “from a humorous and explicitly gay perspective,” and that his use of “this complicated word” was meant to critique, not offend. However, they also apologized “unreservedly” to offended readers and won commendation from GLAAD for their respectful response to the incident.
“Moving forward…given their clear understanding of the offense this word can cause, the magazine’s editors are now acknowledging their responsibility for keeping slurs like this out of its vocabulary,” GlAAD explains.
