Bill Maher Apologizes for Comments

During the April 11 episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher’s “New Rules” segment included a monologue about the cover-up of child abuse by the Catholic Church. In discussing the current Pope’s role in mishandling the situation, Maher, a staunch supporter of LGBT equality, misappropriated the historic slogan “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” leading some viewers to believe Maher was making a connection between gays and pedophilia.

GLAAD reached out to Maher to discuss the implications of his improper use of the slogan, and the host issued this clarification and apology: “My statements on the April 11th edition of Real Time with Bill Maher were intended solely as an indictment of the Catholic Church’s cavalier mishandling of the child abuse scandals over the years,” said Maher. “My comments did not in any way refer to the LGBT community, and I am sorry if they were misinterpreted that way.”