CNN has suspended political analyst Roland Martin for two Super Bowl tweets that rights activists said advocated violence against gay men.
Martin's first tweet involved an H&M underwear ad featuring British soccer start David Beckham. The other pertained to a New England Patriots player dressed in pink.
"If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!"
"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."
Reaction was swift, and Martin defended the tweets as jokes.
Monday, in what he said were his "final thoughts" on the Super Bowl tweets, Martin denied advocating violence against gays and bullying. "That is furthest from the truth, and I sincerely regret any offense my words have caused," he said. He also said that he had been bullied as a child.
On Tuesday, the gay-and-lesbian-rights group GLAAD called on CNN to suspend Martin, and today it welcomed the action.
"CNN today took a strong stand against anti-LGBT violence and language that demeans any community," spokesman Rich Ferraro said in a statement. "Yesterday, Martin also spoke out against anti-LGBT violence. We look forward to hearing from CNN and Roland Martin to discuss how we can work together as allies and achieve our common goal of reducing anti-LGBT violence as well as the language that contributes to it."
Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/n3lhHxMXW7w/1
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