Star Trek legend George Takei has apologized for calling Clarence Thomas a "clown in blackface" following the Supreme Court justice's dissent in last week's landmark same-sex-marriage ruling, according to CNN.
"I was still seething, and I referred to him as a 'clown in blackface' to suggest that he had abdicated and abandoned his heritage," Takei wrote Friday in a Facebook post. "This was not intended to be racist, but rather to evoke a history of racism in the theatrical arts. While I continue to disagree with Justice Thomas, the words I chose, said in the heat of anger, were not carefully considered."
The incident began after last week's Supreme Court's same-sex-marriage ruling, when Thomas, one of four dissenting justices, wrote that denying gays and lesbians the right to marry is not denying them their dignity, the report says.
"Human dignity cannot be taken away by the government," Thomas wrote. "Slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved. Those held in internment camps did not lose their dignity because the government confined them."
A Japanese American who is openly gay and was held in an internment camp during World War II, Takei denounced Thomas' remarks in an op-ed published Wednesday on MSNBC.com, notes the report.
"For many, [being interned] was indeed a great loss of self-worth and respect, a terrible blow to the pride of the many parents who sought only to protect their children from coming to harm," Takei wrote.
Read more at CNN.