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Celebrities Join Ad Campaign Sympathetic To Gay People

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By DAVID BAUDER, The Associated Press

Published: September 7, 2007

NEW YORK - Four actors from ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy,' where Isaiah Washington was fired for anti-gay slurs, are featured in a new ad campaign preaching tolerance for gays and lesbians.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation this week released 25 new public service ads that it will encourage TV networks to air. The ads feature celebrities talking about the power of anti-gay words or the importance of accepting a gay or lesbian family member.

T.R. Knight, Sara Ramirez and Kate Walsh of 'Grey's Anatomy' made ads. Alexandra Billings, a transgender actress who appeared in one episode of the medical drama, also participated.

Washington wasn't included, although he filmed a separate public service announcement for GLAAD that aired on ABC earlier this year. He was fired from the series for using an anti-gay slur backstage at the Golden Globe Awards in January while denying he had used the word earlier against Knight.

GLAAD didn't specifically seek out 'Grey's Anatomy' stars, said Damon Romine, the organization's entertainment media director. It produced the spots at its media awards event in April and approached celebrities who appeared there to participate, he said.

'Be an ally. Be a friend,' tennis star Martina Navratilova says in one of the spots, echoing the campaign's theme.

A handful of cable networks, including the Sundance Channel and Lifetime, have agreed to run the ads, and GLAAD will be approaching more, Romine said.

Actors Rachel Griffiths, Marlee Matlin, Rebecca Romijn and Lance Bass are among the 21 other celebrities featured.

'It is incredibly important to reach out to a wide spectrum of people ... and also to dispel the damaging, false myths and unfounded fears propagated by bigots and zealots,' said former pro basketball player John Amaechi, a participant.

VIDBIT: If one of the stars of 'The Nine' is added to '24,' should the show be called '33' this season? Probably not.

Fox's thriller has added John Billingsley in a recurring role and Jeffrey Nord- ling as a regular for the seventh season. '24' is set to begin shooting Monday, a date that already has been pushed back because of production delays.

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