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Gay Activist Wants Isaiah Hired Back, Points Out "Disturbing Trend at ABC"
Isaiah Washington by Karen Neal/ABC
Jasmyne Cannick, a gay and lesbian activist who worked with Isaiah Washington on the Pan African Arts Festival, has authored a petition to get the actor hired back onto Grey's Anatomy, saying that his axing has an air of racism. The decision to drop Washington "further adds to a disturbing new trend at ABC wherein minority actors have been dismissed at an alarming rate over the past two years," says the petition, citing Star Jones (formerly of The View), Harold Perrineau (Lost) and Housewives' trifecta of Alfre Woodard/Mehcad Brooks/Page Kennedy as examples. "One must ask themselves, 'What is going on?'"
What's more, Cannick argues to the New York Post, "Isaiah has done more for the gay and lesbian community than T.R. Knight did in or out of the closet. He did what they asked him to do [apologize and star in a PSA], and now they want to make sure he will never work again. At what point is enough enough?"
POLL: Should ABC reconsider firing Isaiah? Vote here (bottom right).
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Jun 19, 2007 9:57 AM
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I don't know about Star Jones or the cast of "Desperate Housewives," but I'm pretty sure Michael Perrineau asked to leave "Lost." He is a top-flight actor who was in a supporting role; it frustrated him not to be able to do more, and so he moved on (and now has his own show for fall.) Given how many people "Lost" axes on a regular basis, I wouldn't chalk that up to racism.
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Jun 19, 2007 10:14 AM
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Awww, poor Isaiah Washington! Was it also OK for him to grab Patrick Dempsey by the throat? Give me a break! TR Knight doesn't have to do anything for the Gay and Lesbian community. What Isaiah did by forcing TR to out himself when he may not have been ready to was enough. If every white person who says something negative about any group or community gets fired, than the same should go for the rest of the world!
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Jun 19, 2007 10:14 AM
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I just did a quick Google search of the name Jasmyne Cannick and found an article where 55 LGBT activists wrote in to disagree with something she'd written in The Advocate. So maybe she's not a great spokesperson for gay people.
As for the other firings: Star Jones was fired because she was a joke and viewers hated her; Alfre Woodard and Mechad Brooks were always intended to only be on for one year (and their storyline was a disaster); Page Kennedy was fired because he exposed himself to his co-workers; and Harold Perrineau supposedly wanted off of Lost anyway. Plus, Lost has killed off at 4 regulars who were white--so race doesn't seem like it has anything to do with it.
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Jun 19, 2007 10:18 AM
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This is a far reach, there's a weak link between all these shows, she's combining completely separate elements to form a single issue.
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Jun 19, 2007 10:23 AM
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"Hi, I'm Jasmyne Cannick and I want attention."
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Jun 19, 2007 10:35 AM
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theotherday - you nailed it.
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Jun 19, 2007 10:47 AM
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I would like to know how Isaiah would have felt if T.R. Knight had been the one tossing around the slurs so easily. Had T.R. used a racial slur to reference Isaiah not once but twice I think we can all agree T.R. would have been fired before the season even ended. I also think Isaiah certainly would not have been as gracious and dignified as T.R. has been about the situation in a public forum.
Isaiah's comments of "I did everything they told me to" sounds almost unfinished. I think the words he left out are "...and I wouldn't have bothered if I knew I was going to be fired anyway."
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Jun 19, 2007 11:19 AM
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Ugh.. when I see things like this it just angers me.. Isaiah's firing has nothing to do with race and people that bring it up unnecessarily fuel racial tensions and widen the divide. While it is completely true that most tv shows and movies for that matter are severely lacking in their representation of minorities. But to point that finger at Greys Anatomy is just laughable. The show has been applauded for its high number of minority characters on its show and won the NAACP's award for best drama.
What Jasmyne Cannick needs to remember is that if anyone else in any other job called a coworker what Isaiah did they would be fired. Period. Just because he did an psa( which in light of recent statements was obviously just so he thought he could keep his job) does not take away what happened.
Stop trying to start a fight that doesnt need to be fought. Isaiah screwed up he needs to deal with that.
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Jun 19, 2007 11:35 AM
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lele6173 nailed it on the head when Washington said "I did what they told me..." with adding "and I wouldn't have bothered if I knew I was going to be fired anyway." - that is so well put. Washington's statement alone saying he did what they told him seems that he was always and only looking out for himself. When he says that, the apology and PSA go out the door, in my mind, because he obviously has no remorse - he only did what was asked to save face and his job and I am happy to see that he has lost both.
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Jun 19, 2007 11:48 AM
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Also the person that said when rampant finger pointing and racism are brought up in this context, by Ms. Cannick, the only thing that is served is the further widening of the racial divide, you are correct. To bring up such obvious lies about DH and Lost (Alfre Woodard signed for 1 year as that was how long her story was to be a part of the show) and Harold asked to be written out of Lost further prove that Ms. Cannick has no merit to her statement. Why do I feel like she should be sitting in the - Hey America Look At Me, I Want Attention & Fame room with Dina Lohan, Kathy Hilton, & Debra Opri.
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Jun 19, 2007 11:55 AM
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C'mon lady. Alfre Woodard was not fired. They wrote an incredibly stupid storyline for her that didnt work. Fans hated it. Alfre (one of the best actresses of our time) hated it. So when the story was done, her character had been written into a corner. She had to leave. And since the other two mentioned were ALSO part of that storyline.. well, you do the math.Oh, and the male leads that have been let go from DH.. I somehow missed them being African American. WOW! How could I have missed that?
As for the others, Star left cause she needed to, and even CHOSE to leave early.
I hope people realize that sometimes people claim to speak for the Gay, African American, Native American (and so on) communities, when in actuality, they speak for 1% of that community.
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Jun 19, 2007 12:00 PM
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The main thing that angers me is that someone "representing" the gay community is defending a person who stated that if he knew it would end this way he never would have done any of the positive things he's done, like rehab or the PSA. Obviously none of the positive stuff stuck. She of the obviously uninformed persuasion needs to a)stay out of this and b)distance herself from someone who will further strain her credibility!
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Jun 19, 2007 12:03 PM
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No one ever wins!
These networks can't do anything without a group of people trying to bring them down.
Why is it ABC's fault that Washington is anti-gay?
Why is ABC's fault that the writers of Desperate Housewives ended that story line?
And why do people feel the need to give them never ending hell about their decisions?
The DH thing: Every season there is something, a mystery, whatever, and it gets resolved by the end of the season and new doors and mysteries are opened. Last season just happened to be a black family. So? Why the antics about ending their story line? How does that make ABC racist?
Washington choked a co-worker and outted another, and he should get away with that just because someone pulls the "racist card?" Are you kidding me?
Washington is angry about ABC letting him go because he wouldn't have sucked up to the gay community had he known.
All he's done is bitch and moan about "doing everything ABC asked" and still being fired.
And what was that article about Washington contemplating suing?
The truth is that ABC would have had a world of legal trouble on their hands (not to mention the show would have suffered) had they fired Washington when the incident actually occurred - due to his contract, which expired and ABC simply didn't renew it. Good for them. That's probably why he only thought about suing, he has no case now. Sure he can stoop even lower and argue racism but I still don't see a valid leg for him to stand on, which I already went through.
One more thing, it's not even Washington anymore because he's kept his mouth shut (unless he's planning something) - it's these people who support him and his actions. Honestly, I don't know how anyone can support actions such as his. No offense but some (or should I say most) of those supporters are very uneducated and ignorant.
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Jun 19, 2007 12:14 PM
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I think ABC's record on keeping integrated casts in both daytime and nighttime shows is open to question. They've wiped out nearly all the black characters on their daytime shows, they cancelled the George Lopez show, and have done little to bring other ethnic characters on any of their shows. I don't know who they're trying to appeal to but it makes for limited diversity in the stories they tell on their shows. Maybe with all the cable shows geared to non-traditional viewers, ABC thinks it can carve out a niche in more "traditional" programming??? They're welcome to do so...I pick and choose which shows to watch across the entire spectrum and will go elsewhere for variety.
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Jun 19, 2007 12:19 PM
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