In a new statement posted on his Web site on Tuesday, gossip blogger Perez Hilton called his use of an anti-gay slur during an alleged [article id="1614390"]altercation with the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am[/article] and his manager "misguided," but continued to defend his right to employ such language if he feels threatened.

"I was in an out-of-the-ordinary situation and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances," the statement reads. "My intention -- however misguided it may have been -- was to stand up for myself and tell this belligerent man that I had enough of his badgering and was not going to continue to let him berate and intimidate me."

Hilton uttered the slur outside a Toronto nightclub during an alleged fight between the blogger and [article id="1614526"]Peas manager Liborio "Polo" Molina[/article]. Toronto police charged Molina with assault on Monday afternoon.

Hilton's statement follows an exchange between the blogger and the gay-rights organization GLAAD, which had [article id="1614484"]asked Hilton to apologize[/article] for using the slur. [article id="1614492"]Hilton at first responded to GLAAD's statement[/article] on Tuesday by saying the organization should apologize for criticizing him.

"Clearly, I am not homophobic," Hilton says in his new statement. "Also, I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a spokesperson for the gay community. I am just speaking for myself, a gay man. One who is labeled 'flamboyant' in the media. An American that is not granted equal rights under the law."

Hilton also mentioned that this incident has instilled a new sense of compassion in him. "[T]here was an instance last year when actor Jesse Metcalfe was attacked outside of a Hollywood nightclub by a fellow entertainer. I did not condone the violence, but I did make light of that situation. I regret that."