Vince Vaughn Speaks Out on ‘Dilemma’ Flap

Comic thinks gay quip should stay in the film despite GLAAD’s protests,

Vince Vaughn broke his silence Thursday over a controversial gay joke that appears in his upcoming comedy "The Dilemma." 

While acknowledging the damage caused by homophobic bullying, the actor implied that he believes that Universal should ignore pressure from gay rights groups and keep the quip in the film.

"Let me add my voice of support to the people outraged by the bullying and persecution of people for their differences, whatever those differences may be," Vaughn said in a statement.

"Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together. Drawing dividing lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us. Most importantly, where does it stop."

That won't sit well with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The gay rights group has launched an online campaign aimed at pressuring the film's studio Universal into cutting the slur from the movie.

Universal has already pulled a trailer in which Vaungh's character tells a group of executives, “Ladies and gentleman, electric cars are gay."

In an interview with TheWrap earlier this week,  GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said, "Comments like those in the movie make it seem OK to beat up gay people."

The movie, which centers on a man who discovers his best friends wife is cheating, opens on Jan. 14, 2011.

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