In his first interview since his arrest and conviction on charges of violating Tyler Clementi’s privacy via webcam, Dharun Ravi says that although he “was stupid about a lot of stuff,” he doesn’t believe he contributed to his Rutgers roommate’s suicide in any way.

“I really don’t think he cared at all,” Ravi told ABC News. “It would be kind of obnoxious of me to think that I could have this profound effect on him.”

Ravi says he rejected a plea deal that would have spared him jail time because he would have had to admit — falsely — that “I did this because I had this hate for gay people.” Gay rights advocates have, he says, “a just cause,” but their criticism of his anti-gay language and his public taunting of Clementi “detracts” from it. “This is something people can point to and say, ‘You guys are going overboard,'” he told ABC.

“I think it’s bad for them.”