Actor Alec Baldwin has been forgiven by the gay community, according to a statement by Nina Hyde, the community’s spokeswoman.
Baldwin came under fire last Saturday for writing that British journalist George Stark was “a toxic little queen.” Baldwin went on to tweet that he would put his foot up Stark’s posterior, but that Stark would “dig it too much.” Stark had written in an article that Baldwin’s wife was using Twitter while attending James Gandolfini’s funeral.
“We have concluded that Mr. Baldwin’s words do not reflect his real beliefs,” said Hyde, reading from a prepared statement. “Our decision, therefore, is to forgive him.”
The public has also been overwhelmingly supportive.
“I mean, it’s Alec Baldwin. Who cares what he tweets?” said Miguel Torremolinos, a photographer living in Manhattan. “He’s a cool guy. I know he supports a lot of good causes. He just had an outburst. Cut him a break. Someone insulted his wife.”
Carla Hu, a Pennsylvania psychologist who specializes in anger management, agrees.
“Yes, we must try to avoid language like Alex [sic] Baldwin used in his text message or whatever. But we have to consider his background before we level judgment. His father was a football coach, for crying out loud. Those environments tend to be very macho.”
Some experts believe that Baldwin may even avoid having to go on an apology-interview circuit. Rob Zender, a Professor of Media and Communications at George Mason University, says Baldwin’s near-miss with a public relations bomb reflects changing attitudes.
“Yes, I’m sure the Matt Lauers and Oprah Winfreys of daytime television would love for Baldwin to go on their programs and break down in a teary fit of contrition. But that’s not necessary anymore. The public nowadays is very tolerant of hateful language, as long as it comes from someone who presumably has a good heart.”