With Clearer Heads, Palin and Heckler Imagine Do-Over

Bristol Palin says she's not homophobic and wants to clear up a "misconception" that LGBT people have about her mother, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

The former Dancing With the Stars contestant got in a shouting match with a gay man at a bar in West Hollywood last week after he screamed insults at Bristol Palin from across the room. In return, she marched up to the man, Stephen Hanks, at the bar and accused him of hating the Palins because he's "homosexual" -- employing a tone the man said seemed homophobic.

The whole thing was caught on tape by Bristol Palin's nearby reality show TV cameras.

"I asked the guy if the reason he was so angry at my mom was because he was gay. I was not baiting him or mocking him or in any way being derogatory of gays," she insisted in a post to Facebook on Tuesday. "It was just the opposite! I know that some members of the gay community have completely false notions about my mom. I wanted to clear this up with this guy."

Bristol Palin doesn't say what those "false notions" are among the gay community. She has claimed that she is "totally" not homophobic. And later she reiterates that impressions of she and her mom are based on "misconceptions," but doesn't elaborate.

She said "the crazy guy" made "rational conversation" impossible, and so we missed a chance to hear her theory on the misconceptions at play.

For his part, the man in the bar -- Stephen Hanks -- is now apologizing for the way he reacted to Bristol Palin's presence. At first, he was rebellious and seemed proud of calling Sarah Palin a "whore."

"I have come to the conclusion that no matter what my feelings are towards Sarah Palin, I should not have expressed them towards her daughter," he told E!. "I am very passionate about politics, and believe in equality for all Americans. I expressed my feelings in an improper manner in the heat of the moment, and allowed my emotions to get the better of me."

Despite repeatedly calling Hanks "hate-filled" and "crazy," Bristol Palin seemed to want to have a conversation.

"Isn't it time for this crazy hatred to stop?" she wrote. "That's what I was trying to say to that guy."

How long until they get a drink together?