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SUSPENDED: CNN Says Roland Martin's Words Are Intolerable
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SUSPENDED: CNN Says Roland Martin's Words Are Intolerable
SUSPENDED: CNN Says Roland Martin's Words Are Intolerable
CNN has suspended contributor Roland Martin for a pair of tweets that LGBT rights activists said advocated violence against gay people.
The Washington Post's media reporter, Erik Wemple, was the first to report a statement today from CNN.
"Roland Martin's tweets were regrettable and offensive," it reads. "Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being."
Martin had apologized for the comments Monday, but the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which had first called on him to be fired for the tweets, said his words were only "a start" and should be followed by action.
"I have been accused by members of the LGBT community of being supportive of violence against gays and lesbians and bullying," Martin wrote on his website. "That is furthest from the truth, and I sincerely regret any offense my words have caused."
GLAAD praised CNN today for opting to suspend Martin.
"CNN today took a strong stand against anti-LGBT violence and language that demeans any community," said GLAAD spokesperson Rich Ferraro 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 such violence as well as the language that contributes to it."
Martin got into the trouble by tweeting Sunday that you should "smack the ish" out of any "dude at your Super Bowl party" who is excited to see soccer player David Beckham's new H&M underwear ad. Earlier in the day, he had suggested "a visit from #teamwhipdatass" for a New England Patriot who was wearing a pink suit.