Rose McGowan apologises after claiming gays ‘fought for right to wear speedos’ and take MDMA

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Actress Rose McGowan has apologised after claiming that gay people “fought for the right to stand on top of a float wearing an orange speedo” taking MDMA – but says she stands by her overall point.

The Charmed star – who held a defiant party in support of the Brunei-owned Beverly Hills Hotel this summer, despite a boycott over Brunei’s anti-gay laws – made the claims to controversial author Bret Easton Ellis on his podcast last month.

While talking about the gay community’s failure to engage in feminism, she said in part: “Gay men are as misogynistic as straight men, if not more so. I have an indictment of the gay community right now, I’m actually really upset with them.”

She said later: “I think it’s what happens to you as a group when you are starting to get most of what you fought for? What do you do now?

“I see now people who have basically fought for the right to stand on top of a float wearing an orange speedo and take molly [MDMA].”

The actress has since taken to Twitter to say that while she stands by her main argument, she is sorry for not articulating it better.

She said: “I was pissed off when I said that, obvs a gross over generalization, for which I apologize.

“Could I have articulated my frustration in a better fashion? Undoubtedly. For that I apologize, but I stand by the overall point.

“Where does it say that because of a man’s sexual preference, I don’t get to point out a group’s character defects? It’s a human rights issue.

“Misogyny endangers me as a human. It also endangers the LGBT community. Empathy to women’s international plight isn’t making it better.

“Education in activism will.”

She also accused PinkNews of printing the claims “out of context”.

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