CNN commentator Roland S. Martin is in a heap of trouble after tweeting what some are claiming is an anti-gay tweet during the Super Bowl. After David Beckham’s horribly tame H&M underwear ad was aired, Martin showed his fear of the bulge:
GLAAD jumped on him immediately, demanding that CNN fire Martin for his tweet and Facebook post that made a crack about a New England Patriot wearing pink.
I’d be curious what went through Martin’s head in the seconds after he posted that Tweet, because he quickly covered his tracks moments later:
He knew he had to cover his tracks, but we don’t know whether it was because he initially meant it as homophobic, or because he realized he inadvertently could be seen as homophobic.
This morning he explained his tweet (though did not apologize); Condensed and re-ordered for ease of reading:
Fam, let me address the issue that some in the LGBT community have raised regarding some of my Super Bowl tweets yesterday. I made several cracks about soccer as I do all the time. I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I’m sorry folks took it otherwise. It was meant to be a deliberately over the top and sarcastic crack about soccer; I do not advocate violence of any kind against anyone gay, or not. As anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, anytime soccer comes up during football season it’s another chance for me to take a playful shot at soccer, nothing more
Was Martin’s tweet homophobic? Was he truly dissing on soccer fans? Only one man knows.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 4:04 PM
Who knows? It was a dumb comment since the anti-soccer jibes are so 1980s. A lot more Americans follow the sport and don’t see anything foreign about it.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 4:44 PM
While the intent might not have been outright homophobic, the mindset behind them is. Martin has a history of anti-gay behavior – from defending Tracy Morgan’s anti-gay comedy routine to promoting the ex-gay therapy practiced by his wife on his website. These tweets are the just the latest in his homophobic behavior. (He also tweeted earlier that a Patriots player wearing pink should be beaten up as well).
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 4:59 PM
Martin vigorously defended Tracy Morgan’s homophobic rant (‘he’d kill his son if he told him he was gay’). Martin thought it was defensible because the audience laughed and other comedians tell homophobic jokes as well.
I guess it would also be fine with Martin if Morgan’s joke was about killing your son because he was Jewish, Black, Native-American, etc. Hardly…he wouldn’t even consider writing an editorial defending that kind of joke.
Martin also posted on his Facebook fan page yeserday, “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.”
So asking whether Roland Martin is homophobic is like asking if he’s black.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 5:07 PM
Martin has always been one of those types that would’ve belonged to the Black Panthers if he could have made the cut (he’s all bark and no bite).
If there’s someone that Martin treats more contemptuously than white men, it’s gay white men. If you’ve been following him through his stint on CNN, he’s the Pat Buchanan of CNN. A vile creature who’s carved a position out of identity politics.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 5:43 PM
Guilty as charged. Case closed. *gavel*
-Rob
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 5:45 PM
I wondered if Outsports was going to blog about this when I saw it on HuffPo.
I’m not sure if that tweet was homophobic or not ’cause nowadays saying someone is a cocksucker might be seeing as homophobic, as I remember a blog post here on Outsports made it out to be when Deadspin said that, so who knows.
Who knows. Now you can’t think like a straight man (I’m gay) like Roland Martin was thinking ’cause you might be persecuted.
Not all words are homophobic. Maybe Roland was talking about people watch the Super Bowl for the game and not the ads. A gay dude could have said the same thing just because he isn’t a fan of Beckham and was just more interested in the game.
BTW, is Beckham still that popular with gays?
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 6:11 PM
He and his wife are in favor of conversion therapy for gays. here’s a link to an article he wrote in 2006 on his personal site.
http://www.rolandsmartin.com/page/news.cfm?ArticleID=10
And here’s a lovely quote from it,
“My wife, an ordained Baptist minister for 20 years, has counseled many men and women to walk away from the gay lifestyle, and to live a chaste life.”
The man is undeniably a homophobe who hides behind his religious beliefs as an excuse.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 6:11 PM
This is being blown way out of proportion. It is getting to where you can’t tweet or even say anything without being jumped on by some group representing a certain type of people. I’m gay, and I was not offended in the least with the tweets. We are living a world that is becoming too politically correct, and honestly what happened to freedom of speech?
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 6:20 PM
you’re free to say whatever you want, and everyone else is free to point out you’re a homophobe when you do so. Freedom of Speech applies to both sides.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 6:37 PM
ThatDudeHatesGays, I couldn’t agree more with you. While I may not agree with some of what has been said here, I do respect others opinions. That said, I think GLAAD went a bit overboard calling for his immediate firing.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 7:18 PM
How many gay kids have to die before gay guys stop saying things like “this is being blown way out of proportion”, “I’m not offended by the tweet” and the topper “Now you can’t think like a straight man like Roland Martin was thinking ’cause you might be persecuted.”
Another gay teen hung himself this weekend after being insulted for years; do you guys making these comments even care? If you did, you wouldn’t defend homophobes like Martin.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 7:28 PM
He should know better. Maybe he needs to listen to what Boris Kodjoe said regarding the hypocrisy of the church.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 8:50 PM
Rick, in this instance the phrases that you claim lead to gay kids committing suicide are taken out of context. I was specifically talking about these tweets, and I stand by what I said in that this is being blown way out of proportion. What specific person is he bullying here?
That is not even the point that I’m trying to make. All I’m saying is that I think people start going overboard when they call for the firing of a man who has broken no laws, was simply expressing his freedom of speech, and has not specifically singled out any one individual.
He may be a bigot, and he may be ignorant, but he should not be fired for making such an ambiguous statement. If that were the case, there would be a ton of people fired from the TV and radio world (Bill Maher comes to mind off the top of my head).
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 9:15 PM
It can only be “blown out of proportion” if this was the first incident. Looking over his past views/comments, though, there’s clearly a pattern and he deserves all the heat he gets from it. If that leads to CNN firing his sorry ass, so be it.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 9:29 PM
Man, I used to like Roland, but had no idea his wife was doing reparative therapy. That’s awful and I don’t think I can compartmentalize.
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 9:32 PM
Mike, you’re right about me going overboard. The thing that frustrates me no end is that this is a societal thing. Gay teens get bullied because the kids bullying them see/hear people people like Roland Martin throwing out these kinds of insults and it’s viewed as acceptable. As I said, if this was any other minority it wouldn’t be.
The only way these teen suicides are going to stop is if the gay community and decent straight people say this isn’t right. There has to be zero tolerance for engendering ‘hatred’ and violence. In the case of Roland Martin, how much evidence do people need that he’s homophobic?
on Feb 6th, 2012 at 9:42 PM
Rick, above, has said much of what I feel whenever these cowards proclaim and then immediately backtrack on their BLATANTLY hate-based calls to “beat them” when men of whatever sexual orientation like, lust after, or even remotely appreciate (especially artfully done) images of beautiful males. After all, when you parse CNN’s Martin’s statements, even this timorously dishonest “caught” homophobe reveals what a coward he is because he knows that his innermost fears are simply out of touch with reality. Anyone, especially on this website, who can summon even a scintilla of a reason to defend this dedicated homophobe must either be insecure “straight” guys, or sadly self-loathing closeted homos, or maybe (as the least measure of “best”) members of GoProud and the Log Cabin Republicans. I’m no defender of the Democratic Party because of its foot-dragging so-called support of LGBT Equal Rights under our phenomenal living US Constitution, but the madness of homophobia possesses all too many citizens of this remarkable USA, with so-called bifurcated “straight” and “gay” Americans all too much suffering from it way too long into the 21st century.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 12:55 AM
Isn’t his wife an ex-gay counselor?
Hope CNN fires his ass by Friday.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 1:09 AM
That guy probably was turned on by it. I see FOX News in his future. Go to that scum bag network.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 12:16 PM
Yes it was homophobic and downright anti-social. But I for one accept his apology as sincere and willing to forgive him.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Whatever Roland. I think his apology is BS. He has a history of making comments that clearly are intended to make a point about manhood and what he thinks “real bruhs” represent. This guy gets on my nerves.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Who do we email at CNN to petition to get him fired?
I wish Outsports would include contact information when they cover stories of homophobia. Taking action is just as important as covering the story itself.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 1:42 PM
sportinlife, do you know homophobic history of this man?
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 1:53 PM
for sportinlife:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/roland-martins-history-on_b_1259631.html
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 1:55 PM
I seriously doubt he will get fired over this. And with the kind of people CNN have on anyways most as guests, what he said is mild in comparison.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 2:42 PM
If this is true, isn’t that a shame, Ace?
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 4:44 PM
I read the link/story you provided John. Thanks.
Martin is obviously a 100% Christian hypocrite. As I’ve said before, people who IGNORE verse after verse after verse in the Bible and then quote that book to justify their dislike of homosexuality are as two-faced as they come. He’s a selective hater, nothing more nothing less.
But nothing will happen to him because his hatred is toward gays – and we don’t comprise a significant enough percentage of the human population to effect CNN.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 4:57 PM
No prob, Rick.
But, I don’t agree that we have any clout. We have tons of clout. GLAAD is a very porwerful organization. They make things happen, and hsake things up. I love GLAAD. Because they really have a zero tolerance for anything. And, as a gay person, I greatly appreciate them. Hopefully, CNN does the right thing, and this guy leaves CNN.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 4:58 PM
* don’t have any clout.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 6:55 PM
@John yep, but that’s why I stopped watching CNN it’s turning into FOX news. MSNBC is now turning slowly into CNN.
GLAAD has some power but imo not enough to have this man fired over that tweet.
on Feb 7th, 2012 at 8:45 PM
Ugh…
Step away from the twitter please.
Of course what he said was directed toward gay men. No straight guy is gonna be excited to see a male undewear ad. Even if it’s Beckham, a male soccer fan isn’t gonna get geeked up over seeing him in an underwear commercial, even if they’re European.
Social media as nonverbal communication will get you in trouble. Roland Martin like many others, let their inside thoughts become outside thoughts. People become too self important and start typing every thought they have every single second.
And with Martin being a preacher and tv commentator, he already has self importance in abundance. That said he’s the last person that should be advocating violence against anyone. Ascot wearin Mr. Patatohead lookin ass… inside thoughts… inside thoughts…
on Feb 8th, 2012 at 6:14 PM
And he’s been suspended by CNN
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/idUS198478529920120208
on Feb 8th, 2012 at 10:36 PM
If CNN is going to suspend him then that’s fine, but they should be consistent with handing out suspensions. Right now they just look like hypocrites. But considering they also didn’t report accurately about SOPA, i’m not surprised.
on Feb 8th, 2012 at 11:11 PM
Examples of hypocrisy: Dana Loesch & E.D. Hill
on Feb 9th, 2012 at 2:04 AM
GLAAD has tons of power, Ace.
on Feb 9th, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Quite the comment from Roland’s wife Jacquie Hood Martin after his suspension. “Uses our history to gain their equality & then stabs the point man in the back. Don’t ask us for nothing else!”
Gee, I didn’t know that referencing the struggles of women and blacks for equality and fair treatment was ‘using their history’.
Since when has any group had a patent on history? And secondly, can you please explain how your husband has been a “point man” to ensure we gain equality and don’t get beaten up in back alleys?
on Feb 9th, 2012 at 12:11 PM
I’m not surprised by Mrs. Martin’s comments at all because I saw this coming, and plenty of people agree with her. This is why it’s so great to have people like Boris, Whoopi, Cornel West, Grant Hill, Mo’Nique, etc, etc, talking about LGBT issues. Because when it’s your own people talking about gay issues, you’re more likely to really listen without being on the defensive.