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Culture_Voyeur

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at 11:47:00 AM EDT

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Similar to my feelings regarding Ann Coulter, I don’t enjoy writing about Perez Hilton. Although they are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, I believe they both have practically the same amount of cultural relevance (none) and both will do anything to see their name in the papers.

But 2009 is turning into Perez’s year of infamy, so what are you going to do?

After the scandal with Miss California earlier in the year when they sparred over same-sex marriage, Perez again grabbed headlines after a physical and verbal altercation with Black Eyed Peas’ producer, will.i.am in Toronto. And although he was assaulted by will.i.am’s manager (allegedly), instead of calling the police and reporting the incident, Perez felt well enough to log on to Twitter and beg his readers for help.

And then a video of the altercation hit YouTube. What was most shocking – and what got Perez in the most trouble – is the fact that Perez, who is gay, called will.i.am a “faggot.”

Since he launched his celebrity-bashing blog, Perez has underscored his gossip mongering with LGBTQ political activism. This has ranged from posting links to gay rights organizations, to uploading poorly-made video rants. But when Perez used the gay-equivalent of the “N-word” as an insult, the last ounce of his credibility as a gay activist went out the window – despite his insistence that he was not being derogatory towards LGBTQ people.

Sadly, Perez Hilton’s blog is one of the most frequented websites in the entire world. And although I do enjoy my celebrity gossip, I don’t think simply reporting it qualifies you as a celebrity yourself. But with that much exposure, it was inevitable that the egomaniacal Perez would believe himself to be the gay Martin Luther King, Jr. of the web. And although many of his readers are annoyed by his overt political agenda, there are also, hopefully, those who have a new understanding of LGBTQ rights and how discrimination affects everybody.

But I’m sorry Perez, despite what you may preach, there is no double standard with regards to language and behavior. And when you spend so much time talking about anti-gay bullying and fighting for equality, you don’t retain the same credibility when you yourself feel it is ok to use anti-gay language while in a verbal altercation. Regardless of his intentions, how many straight young people now think it’s ok to call someone a “faggot” simply because they saw a gay person use that word? With a single utterance, Perez has undermined himself and his cause.

Shortly after the scandal with will.i.am, Perez found himself in more hot water with the death of Michael Jackson. As CNN, MSNBC, and even TMZ reported Jackson’s sudden death, Perez remained skeptical – calling it a “hoax” and refusing to repent for his words after the news of the singer’s demise was confirmed.

Maybe it’s time for the self-appointed “Queen of All Media” to retire, or at least give it a rest. Because right now, he’s not only hurting himself, he’s hurting those people who he’s supposedly fighting for.

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Very interesting article! I never got to read Perez Hilton but I know how popular it is! I definitely find it a bit unconscionable that he would openly use such a discriminatory word. Hopefully he will take these moments of criticism to heart and reevaluate a bit.

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vanessaaishacoleman | 7/1/09 05:23 PM | Report | Reply

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