Brett Ratner Teams With GLAAD For 'Coming Out' LGBT Video Campaign

As part of an effort to redeem himself after last year's infamous Q&A gaffe, "Tower Heist" director Brett Ratner has teamed up with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) for a new video series.

The new series, which the "Rush Hour" trilogy veteran will direct and produce, will feature "a diverse group of Hollywood celebrities, athletes, musicians and politicians 'coming out of the closet' as supporters of equality," according to GLAAD.

"Participants will share personal stories about why and how they support the LGBT community and call on Americans to do the same," GLAAD stated in an official press release. Also involved in the meetings were producer Brian Grazer and directors Adam Shankman and Bryan Singer.

Of the experience, Ratner noted, "Working together with GLAAD has been a very positive and enlightening experience for me, and I could not be more pleased to be developing this crucial campaign to help educate people that we all share the same humanity. I am excited to get to work on this program and hope that minds and hearts are opened by what we create."

It's the first step in what is presumably Ratner's effort to re-build his image after his late 2011 debacle. The notoriously sharp-tongued director stepped down as co-producer of the 2012 Academy Awards after using a gay slur during a Q&A session following a "Tower Heist" screening.

"Rehearsing is for fags," Ratner proclaimed at the time. His statements quickly drew criticism from GLAAD and Entertainment Weekly columnist Mark Harris, among other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocates and allies.

Ratner later apologized for the comment. "It was a dumb way of expressing myself," he wrote at the time. "Everyone who knows me knows that I don't have a prejudiced bone in my body. But as a storyteller I should have been much more thoughtful about the power of language and my choice of words."

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[Doug Watt]

12:43 AM on 02/16/2012

Another bad decision for GLAAD. This is just like GLAAD's decision to make a public statement cheering on the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. It seems GLAAD is more about helping big corporations and rich creeps improve their public images. It's time to stop funding them and to donate instead to true advocates for LGBT rights, like GetEqual. Ratner gains the sense of having been forgiven by gays for his hateful speech, as well as lots of money.

What do gays get from the deal? Nothing.

Only someone anti-gay says things like "Rehearsing is for f*gs". Ratner apologized but inside he is still the bigot he exposed himself as last year.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

11:10 PM on 02/15/2012

Use the so-called "f-word"* one time and they have you for life.

* It is quite amazing that use of a common slang term is not allowed on a website where adults discuss news, politics, and culture.

[Doug Watt]

12:29 AM on 02/16/2012

It's not common slang and I think you already know that. Now stop obsessing over what gays do and find something to occupy your time.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

11:43 AM on 02/16/2012

You know what it means and likely use the term.

As does everyone else.

Seems to be pretty common to me, eh?

[Onemind916]

05:13 PM on 02/15/2012

Beautiful!

[rickhfx]

04:53 PM on 02/15/2012

http://youtu.be/WweWwVqPqks

Funny or hate, I say hate. A joke made at a minority that is struggling for equal right, so funny NOT.
Eddie must love black jokes made by the KKK. I bet he laughs his head off.

[Bill J4321]

04:12 PM on 02/15/2012

Next up?

Mel Gibson teams up with the ADL for a short film about Chanukah.

[rickhfx]

04:54 PM on 02/15/2012

So that makes it better? NOT

[rickhfx]

04:55 PM on 02/15/2012

You hit the nail on the head.