BET claims “miscommunications” over B. Scott’s feminine attire. Kevin Clash abuse cases dismissed
GLAAD reports that BET released the following statement about an “unfortunate” incident regarding the feminine attire of celebrity blogger B. Scott that took place during the BET Awards Pre-Show this past Sunday:
“BET Networks embraces global diversity in all its forms and seeks to maintain an inclusive workforce and a culture that values all perspectives and backgrounds. The incident with B. Scott was a singular one with a series of unfortunate miscommunications from both parties. We regret any unintentional offense to B. Scott and anyone within the LGBT community and we seek to continue embracing all gender expressions.“
Scott replied on Twitter to the statement:
@BET‘s non-apology statement has added more insult to injury. It was not a ‘miscommunication’ and what they did to me was intentional.
In other news this week, Baltimore native and former Elmo puppeteer, Kevin Clash, issued a statement after three sex abuse lawsuits were dismissed. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Clash’s attorney wrote:
“Kevin is pleased by the judge’s decision. As we have maintained all along, our goal has been to put these spurious claims behind him so that Kevin can go about the business of re-claiming his personal life and his professional standing, which was recently recognized once again by the three Emmys he won last month…. Kevin is looking forward to a time in the near future when he can tell his story free of innuendo and false claims.”
Clash’s life and career were the subject of a widely released documentary, but only later did he come out publicly as gay after underage sex allegations emerged. Several young men came forward with similar allegations but, according to the Baltimore Sun, three of these were dismissed by a U.S. district judge. New York’s 6-year statute of limitations had already passed. It is reported that an appeal may come from the men’s attorney, plus a separate suit remains active in Pennsylvania.
Clash left his job with the children’s show Sesame Street in November. In spite of all his troubles, he won three Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards for his work on that program.
Three of Clash’s accusers went public last year with televised interviews. The Smoking Gun and other sites published personal information (including shirtless internet photos) about two of the named accusers.
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