ronhowarddil.jpg The use of a gay slur in the trailer for The Dilemma sparked a huge controversy earlier this month, and after receiving criticism from Anderson Cooper and GLAAD, Universal Pictures removed the slur from the trailer. However, director Ron Howard says he will not remove the line from the film itself, and it seems like that's going to cause even more chaos.

Howard chatted with the Los Angeles Times and said, “I believe in sensitivity but not censorship." Howard then explained that the scene in which Vaughn describes an electric car as “gay” was scripted, not ad libbed, and that it was intended to dramatize the fact that Vaughn’s character “is far from perfect and he does and says some outrageous things along the way.” Howard added, “I defend the right for some people to express offense at a joke as strongly as I do the right for the joke to be in a film."

GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios said, “Unfortunately, by leaving it in the movie, they are now contributing to the problem. The conversations started as a result of the community’s response to this slur will help schools, media and parents understand the impact of the word ‘gay’ being used as a pejorative. Hopefully in the future, Universal and Ron Howard will recognize the power of their words and use their films to bring people together rather than drive us apart.”