Journalist Roland Martin attends the 2010 Keep A Child Alive's Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Sept. 30, 2010 in New York City
*Gay rights group GLAAD (Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) is demanding that CNN fire Roland Martin after he made fun of a man wearing pink and joked about H&Ms David Beckham ad on Super Bowl Sunday.
After the H&M commercial featuring Beckham in his tighty-whiteys aired, Martin wrote on Twitter: “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!”
David Beckham's Super Bowl ad
In response, GLAAD wrote: “@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT”
Martin replied: ”@glaad @CNN well you’re clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you’re way off base.”
Martin responded to several tweets that accused him of homophobia, claiming that his comment was meant to be a slight toward soccer fans, and not against gay men. He insisted that he has often criticized soccer fans in America.
In response, GLAAD issued a statement demanding that Martin be fired from CNN.
“Martin has a history of anti-LGBT views. GLAAD is calling on him to be fired, joining many other LGBT activists and bloggers,” reads part of the statement.
The statement also pointed out that Martin had made fun of Patriots outside linebacker Brandon Spikes for wearing his pink “lucky suit” earlier in the day. “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,” he had written.
New England Patriots player Brandon Spikes in his "lucky suit"
GLAAD’s statement also points out that Martin had allegedly expressed other anti-gay remarks. The organization adds that after Tracy Morgan was criticized for saying “he’d stab his son to death if he said he was gay,” Martin wrote on his blog about the incident, seeming to defend Morgan’s stand-up commentary.
“Say I’m wrong. Fine. Say I’m insensitive to gays and lesbians. Fine. I’ll wait for the usual bigots to say that I’m defending Tracy Morgan because he’s black. Fine,” Martin wrote.
“Sorry, if I’m being honest here and not focusing on political correctness,” he continued. “I just believe that many of you would be shocked and amazed that you laughed hysterically at some of the most sexist, homophobic, racist stuff imaginable by comedians of all shapes, sizes, ethnic backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations.”
GLAAD also points out that Martin openly supports “conversion therapy” for gay people. On his website in 2006, he wrote, “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.”
Seems like the usual weak azz hypersensitive crap coming from GLAAD.
I’ve been a fan of David Beckham from his days at Man U, but I wouldn’t get hyped that crap either.
Show me some boxers if you want to get my attention.
Maybe he’s saying fans should be hyped up about the game and not underwear ads? Sounds like a judgement made on the authenticity of the soccer fan base.
Pink suit — style choice — and not a good one, NEXT!
Wow, this is America. Isn’t free speech allowed? Roland Martin FIRED?!? Really? Of course, it’s not without precedent… Preston Burke !
jmo, sometimes roland talks too much. he needs a governor on his mouth. everything does not need to be up for consumption.
Martin is gonna soon find himself on every network’s ” do not call” list.
His jab at the pink suit wasn’t nething for GLAAD to be pissed about tho…
Too much time wasted.So Glaad follows on twitter(LOSERS for anyone following anyone on twitter,fb etc imo) Roland Martin and THEN tries to tell him what he means,ok.
They did not need to show him wearing that ascot/scarf or the pocket hankey. My gay friend just told me he wouldn’t wear that to Fire Island.
I was about to say — is GLAAD preaching to the choir?
Roland needs to remember who he works for. He’s not free to say what he wants without ramifications attached. Do I think he has an issue with homosexuals? I’m almost certain of it… especially having a wife who is a minister. Do I think he should be fired? Hell no…
Next.
I wonder did Roland consider that any man who, like him, thinks about wearing a peach ascot should be #knockedthefkout.
Did I mention “peach.”
That’s exactly what I thought…lol…
Precisely. Pot, meet Kettle.
A real man doesn’t worry about what the next man is doing. And this, GLAAD also points out that Martin openly supports “conversion therapy” for gay people. On his website in 2006, he wrote, “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.”, has me looking at Roland sideways. Maybe he was one of those gay men, that his wife counseled ? Because, he really has to much to say, on the matter. Point blank, he needs to chill with the homophobic comments. I’m not down for folks losing work,but when you run your mouth like that, you gonna end up paying a price for it.
. “Maybe he was one of those gay men, that his wife counseled ?”
I get an Eddie Long vibe from dude. He doth protests too much….