CNN commentator Roland Martin made it a not-so-super Sunday
with a tweet and a Facebook posting widely perceived to be homophobic, and the
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has called on the network to fire
him.
GLAAD
reports that after retailer H&M’s Super Bowl commercial featuring soccer
player David Beckham, Martin tweeted to his nearly 95,000 Twitter followers,
“If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M
underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl.”
In
response, GLAAD wrote, “@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place
at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT.” Martin replied that GLAAD was “way off base” and
suggested that his tweet was a joke about soccer fans, not gays.
Earlier
in the day, he had posted on his Facebook fan page, “Who the hell was that New
England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a
visit from #teamwhipdatass.”
GLAAD
reports that Martin has a history of antigay statements, noting that he
defended comedian Tracy Morgan’s homophobic stand-up performance (for which
Morgan has apologized) and boasts on his website that his wife “has counseled
many men and women to walk away from the gay lifestyle.”
In
a message on its website, GLAAD concludes, “Martin’s tweets today advocating
violence against gay people weren’t an accident — they are a part of a larger
pattern for Martin. Anti-gay violence in America is a serious problem facing
millions of Americans. It’s no joke. CNN should fire Roland Martin.” The
organization asks supporters to sign a petition to that effect. For more
information click here.
SOURCE: THE ADVOCATE
Do
you think GLAAD is going too far?
Should Roland Martin be fired?
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