Friday, July 20, 2007

Richardson apologizes for 'maricon' remark

Richardson apologizes for 'maricon' remark
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
July 18, 2007



SPARKS, Nevada—Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson said his use of a Spanish word that some contend is a slur against homosexuals was meant to be playful but apologized to anyone who was offended.

With critics revisiting the statement he made on a radio program a year ago, Richardson questioned the timing of their comments, as campaigning for the 2008 elections is picking up.

“My record is the strongest among the presidential candidates on gay rights issues and I’m puzzled by the timing of this,” he told The Associated Press July 12.

Richardson, a Hispanic and the governor of New Mexico, was a guest on Don Imus’ syndicated radio program on March 29, 2006. Imus jokingly said one of his staffers suggested Richardson was “not really Hispanic.”

Richardson replied in Spanish that if the staffer believes that, then he is a “maricon.” The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says the word means “faggot” in Spanish.

In a statement this week, Richardson told the AP, “It was a playful exchange between me and Don Imus that was not intended to demean anybody, but if I offended anybody, I apologize.”

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