The Bachelor’s Juan Pablo Galavis Apologizes for Calling Gays ‘Pervert’

What he meant to say is that they are "more affectionate and intense"

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Craig Sjodin / ABC

ABC’s new Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis has apologized for anti-gay comments he made Friday night, in which he referred to gays as “more pervert in a sense.”

In an interview with The TV Page’s Sean Daly, Galavis had said didn’t think it would be a good idea for the show to feature a gay Bachelor because “I don’t think it is a good example for kids to watch that on TV.”

On Saturday, the Venezuelan soccer star offered an apology on his Facebook page, blaming the comments on his limited English and assuring the world that he respects gay people. What he meant to say was that “gay people are more affectionate and intense,” which might be “too racy” for an audience that tunes in weekly to watch one man make out with a multitude of women over a season, and sometimes over a single episode.

Here’s the full apology:

I want to apologize to all the people I may have offended because of my comments on having a Gay or Bisexual Bachelor. The comment was taken out of context. If you listen to the entire interview, there’s nothing but respect for Gay people and their families. I have many gay friends and one of my closest friends who’s like a brother has been a constant in my life especially during the past 5 months. The word pervert was not what I meant to say and I am very sorry about it. Everyone knows English is my second language and my vocabulary is not as broad as it is in Spanish and, because of this, sometimes I use the wrong words to express myself. What I meant to say was that gay people are more affectionate and intense and for a segment of the TV audience this would be too racy to accept. The show is very racy as it is and I don’t let my 5 year old daughter watch it. Once again, I’m sorry for how my words were taken. I would never disrespect anyone.

[CNN]