Matt Damon Says He Never Used “F-Slur” Personally, Stands with LGBTQ+ Community
“I have never called anyone ‘faggot’ in my personal life and this conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening,” Damon said in a statement.
Matt Damon is facing backlash over a recent interview in which the actor revealed he only stopped using the “f-slur for a homosexual” months ago, he is speaking out to clarify his remarks.
In interview published over the weekend, Damon recalled how the offensive term for gay people was “commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application.” He then stirred controversy after sharing that he used the term in a joke “months ago,” but his daughter made him see that he made a mistake. In a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor clarified that he has never used the slur personally.
He added, “I have never called anyone ‘f****t’ in my personal life and this conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening. I do not use slurs of any kind. I have learned that eradicating prejudice requires active movement toward justice rather than finding passive comfort in imagining myself ‘one of the good guys.’ And given that open hostility against the LGBTQ+ community is still not uncommon, I understand why my statement led many to assume the worst. To be as clear as I can be, I stand with the LGBTQ+ community.”
GLAAD’s Head of Talent Anthony Allen Ramos released the following statement regarding Matt Damon’s use of the f-word on Monday evening.
“The conversations that have arisen after Matt Damon’s original interview and subsequent remarks today are an important reminder that this word, or any word that aims to disparage and disrespect LGBTQ people, has no place in mainstream media, social media, classrooms, workplaces, and beyond,” said Ramos in a statement. “There needs to be accountability at a time when anti-LGBTQ slurs remain rampant today and can fuel discrimination and stereotypes, especially when used by those outside of the community to defame or describe LGBTQ people.”