CNN analyst Roland Martin (perhaps better known to "Daily Show" viewers as the noted ascot-wearer Roland Martin) is working furiously to explain himself after a controversial tweet he sent Sunday night criticizing an H&M ad featuring David Beckham.
Midway through the Super Bowl, Martin sent a tweet making fun of the black-and-white ad that showed the soccer star 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 David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!"
The tweet has raised the ire of many online, who accused Martin of gay bashing. GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has launched an online petition calling on CNN to fire Martin after his tweets.
Martin defended himself this morning, both on Twitter and in a post on his website, RolandMartinReports.com.
On Twitter, Martin wrote, "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."
GLAAD isn't having it, however. On its website, the organization is pointing out a series of insensitive comments and jokes Martin has made about gay people over the years.
"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," GLAAD spokesman Rich Ferraro said.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com
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