GLAAD wants CNN to fire Roland S. Martin over David Beckham tweets

Feb 6 2012 11:28 AM ET
GLAAD wants CNN to fire Roland S. Martin over David Beckham tweets
by Mandi Bierly



The New York Giants and New England Patriots weren’t the only ones in a fight on Super Bowl Sunday. GLAAD took offense to tweets by CNN contributor Roland S. Martin and has now started a petition to have him fired from CNN. Martin, however, maintains his tweets were taken out of context. Here’s what happened.

Commenting on David Beckham’s H&M underwear commercial, Martin tweeted “Ain’t no real bruhs going to H&M to buy some damn David Beckham underwear! #superbowl,” “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,” and “I bet soccer fan @piersmorgan will be in line at H&M in the morning to get his hands on David Bechman’s [sic] underwear line! LOL #superbowl.“

Quickly, Twitter users started accusing him of homophobia. Martin seemed shocked that people would make that leap, responding “no, fool! Look at the underwear! You would be the only fool on my TL to come to that conclusion…. and if your ignorant self followed by tweets, you would see I’m ALWAYS rippin’ on soccer. Such a fool,” as well as various versions of “are you that dumb? I rag on soccer all of the time. David Beckham. Soccer player. Pay the hell attention!”

Martin pointed out that he frequently cracks on Morgan for tweeting about soccer on “real football” Sundays, and that his tweet about smacking the “ish” out of a man excited for Beckham’s underwear ad was not meant to be taken literally. “[A]nd I said if your bad kid runs in front of the TV during the #superbowl, next time u see them will be on a milk carton,” he explained to one person, “so in your world, was my kids tweet advocating kidnapping? See how silly you can try to make this?”

About an hour after Martin’s initial tweet, GLAAD got into the argument tweeting, “.@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT.” Martin’s response: “@glaad @CNN well you’re clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you’re way off base.” As of this morning, GLAAD continued to tweet a link to an online petition asking for CNN to oust Martin and claiming they were part of a pattern. Over a series of tweets around 10:30 a.m. ET, Martin explained himself again:

“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.”

A spokesman for GLAAD tells EW.com the petition still stands: “This isn’t a mistake made on Twitter. It’s part of a pattern of anti-LGBT rhetoric that culminated in two tweets yesterday promoting violence towards gay people. The time has come when CNN and Time Warner have to decide whether they want to continue to use their platforms to elevate those who use such language.” GLAAD cites this earlier tweet from Martin on Super Bowl Sunday: “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.”

A rep for CNN has yet to return EW’s request for comment.

Roland Martin's History on Gays Says It All

Michelangelo Signorile

Editor-at-large, HuffPost Gay Voices; host, 'The Michelangelo Signorile Show' on Sirius XM's OutQ

Posted: 02/ 7/2012 9:22 am

CNN political analyst Roland Martin laughably claims he was talking about soccer fans -- not gay men -- when he tweeted messages during the Super Bowl which now have the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Black Justice Coalition calling for him to be fired.

But a look at Martin's history shows what group he clearly was referring to when he tweeted, "Ain't no real bruhs going to H&M to buy some damn David Beckham underwear!" and "If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!"

That's because for a long time Roland Martin has viewed gays as a group that, figuratively speaking, need the "ish" kicked out of them -- as in having a preacher "bowl down your alley."

I'll explain that, but first, let's not forget that this is a man who came to Tracy Morgan's defense when the comedian said he'd kill his own kid if he was gay. Though a Democratic political analyst and supporter of President Obama, Martin's been on the wrong side of gay rights in just about every debate, even saying "thanks" to the Miss USA pageant loser, Carrie Prejean, for coming out against same-sex marriage in 2009.

But most revealing are Martin's comments in a column he wrote in 2006, in which he promoted "pray-away-the-gay" therapy:

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... For her, the obligation is to her calling as a minister of the Word, rather than bowing to societal pressures. She loves gay and lesbian church members dearly, and prays with them, talks to them, and breaks bread with them. But what she cannot do is compromise the integrity of the teachings of Christ.

Martin then compared homosexuality to alcoholism, one of the "dangers" that must be preached against:

It would be nonsense for the body of Christ to launch a gay and lesbian ministry that is not focused on teaching God's Word -- including those that address homosexuality. Preaching about the dangers of becoming drunkard -- which Paul wrote about in the Bible -- must be taught alongside of Jesus' admonition in Matthew 19 that God has only called a man and woman to marry.

Martin went on to tell gays -- whom he views as "captives" of "sin" -- that if they go to a church that is "rooted in the Bible" they should expect to be verbally bashed around a bit by the preacher, who will "bowl down your alley":

... if someone expects to join a church that is rooted in the Bible, then they should be prepared to hear a sermon that might, in the words of the Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III of Dallas' Friendship-West Baptist Church, "bowl down your alley or sit in your pew." The church is called to love our fellow man, preach the good news and set the captives free -- free from a life of sin. That isn't being homophobic. It's being a Christian. And no one should have to apologize for that.

In a message earlier in the day on Super Bowl Sunday Martin tweeted, "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."

There seems to be a pattern here: smack the ish out, whip dat ass, bowl down your alley, sit in your pew. GLAAD and NBJC say it exposes something ugly and, pointing to Martin's history, that it's time for CNN to show him the door. For too long Martin's gotten away with excuses, while CNN looked the other way. Refraining from suggesting violence against any group -- including soccer fans -- isn't much for a news network to ask of its political analysts.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/roland-martin-superbowl-_b_1259631.html

CeCe wrote:I think the problem some people are having with Roland Martin is not only this specific incident but his history. This is from Michelangelo Signorile.

captainbryce wrote: Without retracting my previous statements about GLADD, assuming that everything that Michelangelo Signorile says here is true and accurate, then I retract everything I said earlier about Roland Martin. Apparently, he IS a moron after all!

Roland Martin suspended by CNN for David Beckham tweets
February 8, 2012 | 12:07 pm


CNN analyst Roland Martin has been suspended for his controversial tweets on Super Bowl Sunday making fun of an H&M ad featuring David Beckham.

"Roland Martin's tweets were regrettable and offensive," said a statement issued by CNN. "Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being."

The suspension comes a few days after GLAAD and other gay organizations angered by the tweets demanded CNN suspend Martin or take other action.

Martin midway during the Super Bowl sent a tweet making fun of the ad that featured soccer star Beckham dressed only in his tighty-whiteys: "Ain't no real bruhs going to H&M to buy some damn David Beckham underwear!" He continued, "If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him."

Martin denied he was being homophobic, saying the tweets were a joke.




http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/02/roland-martin-suspended-for-david-beckham-tweets.html