Words have Power…

Isaiah Washington appears in a public service announcement (PSA) intended to combat intolerance based on sexual orientation, race and gender.

The PSA is the result of a January meeting with Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), during which the actor apologized for his use of an anti-gay slur.

Washington acknowledged the harm he had caused by his use of the epithet and expressed an interest in taking steps, such as appearing in this PSA, to combat prejudice and intolerance faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

The message for Washington’s PSA reads: “Words have power. The power to express love, happiness and joy. They also have the power to heal. When you use words that demean a person because of their sexual orientation, race or gender, you send a message of hate. A very powerful message. But we all have the power to demand better from one another and from ourselves. We have the power to heal and change the world by the words we use.” The PSA was produced by ABC. Watch it…