Bristol Palin Insists She's 'Not Homophobic'

Bristol Palin? "Homophobic?" The Devil, you say, according to Access Hollywood.

It's becoming apparent that the 21-year-old daughter of former Alaska Governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin understands why people would suppose she's prejudiced about as well as Chris Brown understands why nobody's really cool with beating women.

Officially announced Friday as joining the fifteenth-season cast for this fall's "Dancing with the Stars: All Stars" on ABC, she previously took the opportunity during the recent Television Critics Association summer tour in Beverly Hills to lunge at critics insisting she harbors an agenda against the gay community.

"You know what? I like gays," Palin said. "I'm not a homophobic and I'm so sick of people saying that. Just because I'm for traditional marriage doesn't really mean I'm scared or anything of anyone else and I don't hate anybody.

"People are gonna make up stuff about me no matter what and whatever," she added. "I'm gonna go dance and I'm gonna have fun and I'm just gonna go have fun on this show. And it's not about politics, it's not about traditional marriage and anything like that. It's just about dancing, and it's gonna be fun, and that's all I have to say about it."

Thanks, Mrs. Gump. Now, do go clear your inbox, because it seems you've missed a memo or two, or a dozen.

Unburdened by controversy though the fourteenth season was, 2011's thirteenth season was top-heavy with it from the moment ABC made casting official. Of course, that would be the season when right-wing groups unleashed a Biblical-proportions flood of bile upon Disney-owned ABC, threatening boycotts over the casting of transgender male activist, author and child of Cher Chaz Bono. Right up until his elimination halfway through the season, it was abundantly apparent that Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman had been struck upon their pity-bones and hailed his "courage" every week while ignoring his horrible, horrible dancing.

Of course, fans danced to the fiddlers' tunes and let him slide continuously. What's more, Bristol apparently never read her own press during her run: in 2010, she finished third overall despite being a talk show joke-butt. The gorilla-suited dance with Mark Ballas only furthered that cause.

Nor is it as though her personal life and chronic explosive diarrhea of the mouth hasn't fed the stream of publicity. Exhibit A? This clip from a recent episode of her Lifetime reality series "Life's A Tripp" (more on those misadventures shortly) in which her three-year-old son called his aunt a "faggot."

Just for good measure, Exhibit C? Her lengthy rant claiming that "Glee" harbors an agenda to turn all of America all icky and gay and stuff, and relating that to the disastrous implications she foresees from President Barack Obama reversing his views on gay marriage in light of the feelings of his two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

"Would've been nice [if Obama had] been an actual leader and helped shape [his daughters'] thoughts instead of merely reflecting what many teenagers think after one too many episodes of 'Glee'" she wrote this past May.

Even if she's never come right out and sworn a blood-oath to thwart the gay community at every turn, admit it: the perception is pretty easy to come by. How does the old saying go? "What you do speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you say?

"I just think that you guys are going to be talking about us either way, and I might as well be doing something enjoyable and fun and with a good group of people and that's why I'm doing it," she said during a press conference following Friday's announcement.