The superbowl is a time for fun and ish talking both in person, and now thanks to social media like Twitter, online. But there’s always someone who takes on the role of inappropriate police, and this year that “someone” is the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
The alliance is calling for CNN to fire political correspondent Roland Martin for tweets sent yesterday that they deem homophobic. The situation all started when Roland saw David Beckham’s H & M ad and tweeted:
“If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!”
GLAAD immediately responded with the tweet:
“@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT”
Roland, a man who argues for a living, shot back, tweeting:
“@glaad @CNN well you’re clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you’re way off base.”
Roland then sent out tweets to his followers, letting them know his comment was really bashing soccer—which he does frequently—not gay men, but it didn’t help his cause when he later wrote:
“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”
Unsurprisingly, GLAAD has now launched a full-fledged campaign to have Roland fired, saying “Advocates of anti-gay violence have no place at CNN or Time Warner.” They also reference Roland’s defense of Tracy Morgan’s controversial routine about what he would do if his son was gay, saying:
“Martin’s tweets today advocating violence against gay people weren’t an accident — they are a part of a larger pattern for Martin.”
Roland’s history of supporting conversion therapy is also being used to back up GLAAD’s stance. In 2006, he wrote on his website that his wife is an ordained Baptist minister who has counseled many men and women to walk away from the gay lifestyle, and to live a chaste life, seemingly encouraging others to do the same.
It doesn’t appear that CNN has made any comment on the situation just yet, but GLAAD likely won’t back down until the network does, or they get what they want.
Do you think GLAAD is being too sensitive or does Roland Martin seem to have a history of anti-gay/homophobic behavior? Should CNN fire him?
Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.
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