Kirk Cameron says he’s been ‘slandered’ by gay critics

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Former ‘Growing Pains’ star Kirk Cameron is bashing back against critics who took him to task for anti-gay remarks on TV last week.

Cameron called homosexuality ‘unnatural’ and ‘detrimental’ to civilization during an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN. Those comments were quickly denounced by the advocacy group GLAAD, as well as Cameron’s former ‘Growing Pains’ costars Alan Thicke and Tracey Gold.

But Cameron, who is promoting a new film, sounded unrepentant in an email to ABCNews.com.

‘I spoke as honestly as I could, but some people believe my responses were not loving toward those in the gay community,’ he wrote. ‘That is not true. I can assuredly say that it’s my life’s mission to love all people.’

Cameron said in the email that he believed he ‘should be able to express moral views on social issues, especially those that have been the underpinning of Western civilization for 2000 years -- without being slandered, accused of hate speech and told from those who preach ‘tolerance’ that I need to either bend my beliefs to their moral standards or be silent when I’m in the public square.’

His critics remain unimpressed.

‘Saying that gay people are ‘detrimental to civilization’ may be ‘loving’ in Kirk Cameron’s mind,’ GLAAD said, ‘but it’s gay youth and victims of bullying who truly suffer from adults like Cameron who espouse these ideas.’

What do you think of Cameron’s latest remarks? Is he victim or victimizer?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)