A veritable heartbeat after being roundly criticized for posting homophobic Super Bowl tweets—and getting ditched by CNN—professional sound-biter Roland Martin addressed the scandal on-air yesterday and reminded listeners he’s in support of gay adoption, hate-crime laws and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
What, there was no Pride parade they could make him the grand marshal of?
On Sunday during his Washington Watch segment on TV One, Martin recounted his recent morning meeting with GLAAD communications director Herndon Graddick:
“Over breakfast for over 90 minutes, Herndon shared his thoughts with regards to my tweets and why he deemed them offensive to the LGBT community, and I reiterated my apology that — that if anyone who construed my comment[s] as being anti-gay or homophobic, or advancing violence, that was not my intent, and for that I was truly sorry.
Oh c’mon! The man has a record of gay bashing and homophobia and all we get is the classic “I’m sorry you took it that way”?!?
How about we take this to the next level?
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Martin followed up his non-apology with another old chestnut, the “let’s agree to disagree” canard:
“When anyone has a disagreement—whether public or private—there should be a call to sit down and sort it out, as opposed to both backing into corners, ratcheting up the noise to the point where no one hears one another. That benefits no one.
“Now, do we agree on all issues? No. But, ironically, I have historically supported many of the issues important to the GLAAD agenda, such as ending [the] ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy; gay adoption; and including gays in hate crimes laws. Those, folks, are facts. But it is only through dialogue do we get an opportunity to see each other’s perspective and learn what it is like to walk in that person’s shoes
And finally Martin absolves himself of responsibility by claiming he’s “a journalist, not an activist.”
Actually, Roland, you’re a talking head who weighs in on the issues of the day. You make your living on your opinions, not investigative reporting. And as a professional opiner, you should know the impact your words have.
While GLAAD is in dialogue with Martin, the anti-defamation group hasn’t let him off the hook completely. A statement from the group about Sunday’s broadcast read in part:
We live in a culture of 140 characters, sound bites and three-hour news cycles. Context, and even intent, is often lost. In spite of that, our media, and what is considered acceptable in it, is more im
portant than ever. For better or worse, celebrities and prominent voices in our media set a standard for what is acceptable in the rest of our society. GLAAD firmly believes that language which could be construed by an audience as inciting violence against LGBT people, people perceived to be LGBT, or members of other groups that face discrimination or prejudice is unacceptable in our media. Anti-LGBT violence is not a political opinion.
But we have to disagree with GLAAD’s assertion that Martin “took another important step, acknowledging that his words had a negative impact, and making it clear that he understands how serious the issues of anti-LGBT bullying and violence are.”
What Martin acknowledged (to himself anyway) is that his meal ticket had dried up and he needed to offer a little lip service to get it back.
Images via CNN, GLAAD
christopher di spirito
Roland Martin is a troll. He will either:
a.) return to CNN in 6 months chastened and suddenly pro-gay as can be or,
b.) be hired by FIXED News, as Murdock’s organization has a history of hiring CNN’s dregs
dsp
Now were are all the “if this guy was white you would accept his apology” posts…..who will be the first to play the race card…come who who who? Talks like a homophobe, walks like a homophobe, it’s a homo. lol kidding homophobe! White, asian, black, chistian, muslim, jewish, etc. he acted like a douchebag homophobe and that is the point.
SEXXYJAMAICAN
@dsp: They don’t care anymore. It is what it is.
David Ehrenstein
What about Mrs. Martin and her “Ex-Gay” ministry?
Isaac C
This is the stupidest non-issue ever. Stop trying to make an example out of him. You silly queens did the same thing to Tracy Morgan and practically put the man through a meat grinder to make your point.
Roland apologized for a seemingly homophobic comment, which you really had to STRETCH to even connect to homophobia. Move on and quit with this petty bullshit.
Shannon1981
His wife runs an ex gay ministry and he himself is ordained. If anyone believes what he says, (s)he is a fool.
greenluv1322
You know what… I’m getting really sick of this “slave master” mentality that you white people have regarding black people. To be clear, I am no fan of Roland Martin. However, it’s extremely ridiculous that you white people run any slightly homophobic tweet to black people exit polling 7 out of 10 for prop 8. Here’s a suggestion: LET IT GO! You white people are not scoring any points going after black people. Here’s a reality check most of you are really fucking racist. And if you continue to go after black people will not win there support, which seems to be something that you all strive for. You white people or your descendants created this horrible idea of supremacy, well now taste the medicine. The main reason that some black people are against gay rights is because faggots are the new niggers!
William
How hard is it to say
“The comments I made were wrong. I don’t expect a paragraph long apology, no matter how sincere, will re-write my mistake. to those who believe I should get a second chance thank you. To those who don’t I promise to work hard to show you I do.
And be done with it.
dsp
Non-issue and petty bullshit for you Isaac C, but maybe not for others. And did you know his wife runs an ex-gay ministry…..to me that would make his “seemingly homophobic comment” even more homophobic! Just a thought.
Isaac C
@William: He shouldn’t have to, and he doesn’t need you or anyone else to “give” him a second chance. The arrogance!
You and others want him to cave to your demands of what he should and shouldn’t say, and he doesn’t have to do that. No one really does. Either you accept what he has to say or label him a homophobe and move on. Either way it’s a stupid issue made more stupid by repetition. He’s a sports-broadcaster, he is not a politician and is not making any policy against gays and lesbians.
Isaac C
@dsp: Unless his wife is the one who made the “homophobic” tweet, that information about her and who she is irrelevant.
B
QUEERTY’s comment was “Actually, Roland, you’re a talking head who weighs in on the issues of the day.” Of course, some of us suspect (given our opinion of TV news in general) that it would be more accurate to say, “Actually, Roland, you’re a talking head who weighs in on the issues of the day by reading from a teleprompter and, like Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore, never thinks for himself at all.” After all, his excuse is basically, “I can’t write well.”
Given the 140 character constraint and vagueness of what he “tweeted”, I might give him the benefit of the doubt as to what he meant, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun regarding his intellectual abilities or curiosity.
dsp
@Isaac C: I do not remember where (I beleive on Queerty) she had tweeted (which has since been deleeted) after his tweet. Irrelevant maybe so and maybe not. If your wife runs an ex gay ministry … unless he is clueless to that effect .. would that not mean tha he is supportive of her. I do not support reparative therapy and if my wife had an ex gay ministry, that would defenitely not be my wife. (That is if I were a heterosexual man) You are entitled to your opinion as am I. I beleive we differ in our points of views. Fine by me
Oh, ok.
@dsp: Like the thread with the white hockey player who you all said to forget about because it wasn’t a big deal and to let it go?
Are you just stupid or are you really trying this hard to be an idiotic hypocrite?
dsp
@Oh, ok.: I never said forget about it! I think he should be fined like the basketball players were and suspended for a few games. Hit them were it hurts, the “wallet” And it is a big deal to me. So you asking if I am stupid or am trying hard to be an idiotic hypocrite does nothing to me. Makes you sound a little off and a little angry. Be the person black, white, asian….anything, man or woman, I am always against homophobia and beleive people can change once they educate themselves. What gets me is when people use the race card. This has nothing to do with race. That is my opinion and you have yours. (and who is you all? names, names, names please)
Oh, ok.
@dsp: You inserted race into the comments. You posted the second comment.
You got what you wanted.
And pretending race isn’t a factor is stupid considering articles about white homophobes get very different comments than articles about black homophobes.
dsp
@Oh, ok.: “And pretending race isn’t a factor is stupid considering articles about white homophobes get very different comments than articles about black homophobes.”
On that quote I would tend to agree with you. Actually not tend, I would agree and add that when that white homophobe is a hot man, many folk will give them a pass as I have read on many differnet blogs. I won’t give them a pass! It’s one of my pet peeves when someone bings race into it. Homophobia is homophobia regardless of skin color, political sidding, religious beleifs and should be damned for what it is.
William
@Isaac C:
Issac I am going to be really patient with you.
When did I say I wanted an apology from him?
When did I say I or anyone else deserved one? I was giving an acceptable statement that would win over the minds/hearts of people that DO want something from him.
Back off. I could careless about this prick or anyone else who foams at the mouth on twitter. If these imbeciles could form an apology correctly none of this would be going on
Oh, ok.
@dsp: But at it’s root that’s why you see black commenters bringing race up because of the nonstop “hang the black guy” and “all blacks are homophobes” mentality festering not only online but in so called gay communities in general.
They keep pushing to get black men fired from their jobs while giving white men passes when they do the exact same thing. It’s as if they’re the gay version of the KKK who ironically would never be accepted by the KKK for being gay let alone by the white homophobes they’re defending.
David Ehrenstein
Do not feed the troll known as “Isaac C.”
ChristopherM
They shouldn’t fire him for being a homophobe. He should have lost his job ages ago for being as dumb as soup. Whenever they have a panel on that channel, he always has the least to add of anyone and looks like an intellectual little person next to David Gergen, Donna Brazile, and even Gloria Borger.
Tony
@ChristopherM: SO TRUE ! It’s embarrassing for CNN (even before this issue)
B
No. 18 · Oh, ok wrote, “They keep pushing to get black men fired from their jobs while giving white men passes when they do the exact same thing.”
You mean like the call for Pat Buchanan’s head (figuratively, of course)? Or that idiotic radio “talk-show host” Don Imus who ended up in hot water for calling a not particularly newsworthy women’s college basketball team “nappy-headed hos”?
Isaac C
@David Ehrenstein: Shut the fuck up. @William: I think it’s pretty clear what you meant in your comment or else you wouldn’t have written that. Don’t try to backtrack just because someone disagrees with you.
Fawkes
@Isaac C: I’m so used to seeing your anti-black comments that I thought for sure you’d be against Roland Martin and saying all sorts of racist garbage here. But I was wrong. Apparently you hate gay people more than you hate black people.
WJoaquin
@Isaac C: Back into your cave, troll!
Mk_ultra_again
@Isaac C: once again you’re completely wrong. Martin neefs to be taken through the ringer. He needs to be degraded and mocked, then offered a faux apology, exactly like he himself did. Only a weak, conservative loser qould advocate such a weak, loser strategy, like you always suggest.
Isaac C
@Mk_ultra_again: Well I disagree with that. That is an extremist position.
TASTEY GOODIES
ALL TOGETHER NOW “KISS OUR COLLECTIVE RAINBOW ASSES, MOFO!”.
William
@Isaac C: In other words, I never said what you accused me of saying.
I think it is odd that you think I am backtracking when your stance is the one I clearly agree with. Whatever, my point still stands, if these degenerates knew how to form a proper statement we would not be wasting our breath on this