Roland Martin Apologizes; “A Start,” Say Critics

CNN commentator Roland Martin has posted an apology on his website for Super Bowl Sunday remarks that were widely seen as homophobic, but the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation still wants him to meet with LGBT advocates.

“Based on several tweets I made on my Twitter feed on Super Bowl Sunday ... I have been accused by members of the LGBT community of being supportive of violence against gays and lesbians and bullying,” Martin writes on the site. “That is furthest from the truth, and I sincerely regret any offense my words have caused.”

Martin tweeted Sunday, after retailer H&M’s Super Bowl commercial featuring soccer player David Beckham, “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.” Martin later said he was making fun of soccer fans, not gay men. Earlier in the day, he had posted on his Facebook fan page that “a New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit … needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass.”

GLAAD demanded that CNN fire Martin, and several other organizations, including the National Black Justice Coalition, objected to his comments, as did numerous bloggers and individuals. On its website, GLAAD says Martin’s apology “is a start,” but adds that he should “put actions behind his words.”

Noting a video posted on several sites yesterday of an antigay attack in Atlanta, GLAAD calls on Martin “to meet with us and our partners to discuss how we can work together to address the staggering rates of anti-LGBT violence that continues to face our community today.” Also, the lack of response from CNN is unacceptable, GLAAD officials say. Read more here.