Behind Closed Doors: When Isaiah Washington Met GLAAD

Isaiah Washington might be more of a foot-in-the-mouth hothead than a homophobe, but gay groups aren't letting the Grey's Anatomydoc — currently in anger-management counseling — off the hot seat quite yet. TV Guide talked to Neil Guiliano, president of GLAAD (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and Kevin Jennings, executive director of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), to find out what really went down at their Jan. 22, pre-rehab powwow with the actor, and what they still want to see from him.

"We had requested the meeting when we demanded that he apologize," says Guiliano, who says he felt "outrage" at Washington's homophobic slur uttered on the Grey's set in early October, and directed at cast mate T. R. Knight. The actor was "very calm, remorseful and very sincere" at the meeting, adds Guiliano. "He understood and apologized for the enormity of the hurt that he had caused."

The activists bombarded the father of three with stats about the prevalence of anti-gay slurs in schools. "He was horrified and shocked," Jennings recalls. The group also discussed possible means by which Washington might make amends. Among the projects suggested is a PSA to air on ABC, "about how damning this kind of language can be." (We're told that the ABC rep at the confab was open to the idea.) Washington also reportedly asked to do more than "just use the media" to spread the word, but also attend gay events because "people need to know Isaiah."

Washington also seemed interested in working with GLSEN to educate kids on the subject. "It was a very good dialogue, very honest and frank, which it needed to be," says Guiliano. However, no firm commitments were made. "It was understood to be a beginning conversation," says Jennings. "He has said he wanted to be judged by his actions, not his words. We told him those actions have to show a real commitment, not be a one-shot thing. He agreed.

"I'm optimistic," Jennings concludes. "I'm also waiting to see what happens next."

Send your comments on this feature to online_insider@tvguide.com.