WASHINGTON - Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, issued the following statement today in reaction to the recent comments by CBS commentator Billy Packer during an interview with Charlie Rose. Packer used the term "fag out" during the interview when Rose jokingly offered his assistance for the NCAA Men's Final Four.

"John Amaechi, who has done a tremendous amount of youth work and obviously knows the sports world first hand, has said that every time someone uses the 'F-word,' gay kids in high school die a little bit on the inside.

"CBS has tried to spin this as a poor choice of words. Billy Packer and the CBS network should know better and must apologize for the hurt that this kind of remark causes."

The Human Rights Campaign hosted a panel of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender athletes in Atlanta coinciding with the NCAA Men's Final Four games. John Amaechi, Billy Bean, Joey Fisher, David Kopay, Terri O'Connell and Esera Tuaolo all shared their stories and unique perspectives on the experiences of GLBT athletes. The panel was moderated by ESPN Magazine Senior Writer LZ Granderson.

Watch the video of the panel or download high-resolution photos of the panel.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.