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Conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos said Tuesday he was sexually abused twice as a child, once by a priest, while apologizing for and defending his comments defending pedophilia.
The writer and personality also resigned from right-wing Breitbart News shortly before a press conference. on after he was accused of defending pedophilia. The New York Times first reported the news.
“Breitbart News has stood by me when others caved,” he said in a statement. “I would be wrong to allow my poor choice of words to detract for my colleagues' important reporting, so today I am resigning from Breitbart, effective immediately.”
According to a statement from Breitbart, the company said that Yiannopoulos' “bold voice has sparked much-needed debate on important cultural topics confronting universities, the LGBTQ community, the press, and the tech industry.”
The statement went on to note that “Milo notified us this morning of his decision to resign as editor of Breitbart Tech and we accepted his resignation.”
In a press conference Tuesday, Yiannopoulos apologized if his comments — in which he said older gay men can benefit younger gay men in sexual relationships — offended other victims of sexual abuse.
He maintained, however, that some of his words were taken out of context as a means of launching a “media witch hunt” against him.
“I am a gay man, and a child abuse victim. Between the ages of 13 and 16, two men touched me in ways they should not have,” he began.”
“My experiences as a victim led me to believe I could say almost anything on the subject, no matter how outrageous,” he added.
He restated his “disgust at adults who sexually abuse minors,” and that he does not advocate illegal behavior.
“I don't believe that sex with 13 years olds is OK,” he said. “I'm certainly guilty of imprecise language, which I regret.”
He added that although his book had been canceled following his defense of pedophilia, he has received interest from other publishers, and added that he plans to donate 10% of his royalties to child abuse charities.
Yiannopoulos also compared being a victim of sexual abuse to going bankrupt, and encouraged people not to allow rape to shape their lives.
“It’s not the worst thing that’s ever going to happen to you,” he said. “And I know that some people will find that in itself to be an outrageous statement, but it simply isn’t the worst thing that will ever happen to you. Going bankrupt is worse.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
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