Roland Martin Insists He’s Not Coaching Bullies on #Teamwhipdatass
CNN’s Roland Martin offered what he called “final thoughts” last night on the uproar over his controversial tweets during the Super Bowl. Both GLAAD and National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) have said Martin promoted violence against gays.
On Sunday Martin tweeted: “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 “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”
Martin says now that his comments were about soccer, not gay men, and that they were deliberately over-the-top jokes. Though, it wasn’t Martin’s first turn with controversy over his comments about LGBT people.
“Even if he meant it in a jovial manner, Roland Martin’s words carry a real impact on the everyday lives of Black LGBT people, especially our youth. Given the number of rash murders, attacks and violent acts involving LGBT people of color, we cannot let statements such as this go unchecked. Silence is a form of acceptance and only perpetuates the problem,” said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director of the NBJC, the nation’s largest black LGBT civil rights organization.