Intentn vs. Impact: Roland Mart and the Gay Communy | HuffPost Latt News

Contents:

• ROLAND MART MA MISTAK TWEETS DEEMED ANTIGAY BUT IS NO HOMOPHOBETHE CNN MENTATOR’S TWEETS WERE OFFENSIVE AND HOMOPHOBIC, BUT HE SHOULD NOT BE NMNED, SAYS PHILL WILSON.PHILL WILSONUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 11:32AM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2012 10:45PM EST HARAZ N. GHANBARI / AP PHOTOBEG BOTH BLACK AND GAY N BE, WELL, TERTG. BUT RARELY HAS THIS DUAL INTY MANIFTED SELF FOR ME AS DRAMATILLY AS DURG THE CURRENT NTROVERSY BETWEEN THE GAY AND LBIAN ALLIANCE AGAST DEFAMATN (GLAAD) AND THE BLACK TV AND RAD MENTATOR ROLAND MART.A WEEK AGO, TO MEMORATE BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENS DAY, I APPEARED ON A SEGMENT OF THE TOM JOYNER MORNG SHOW ABOUT AIDS THAT CLUD THE RAT OF HIV AMONG YOUNG BLACK GAY MEN, WHICH WAS PRODUCED AND HOSTED BY ROLAND MART. THAT SAME DAY I ALSO PARTNERED WH GLAAD TO PUBLISH AN HIV/AIDS EDORIAL.UNBEKNOWNST TO ME AT THE TIME, ROLAND HAD SENT OUT DURG THE SUPER BOWL SOME TWEETS THAT GLAAD AND OTHERS BELIEVE ADVOTED VLENCE AGAST GAY MEN. ROLAND NI THIS WAS HIS TENT.ROLAND’S TWEETS WERE OFFENSIVE AND HOMOPHOBIC. FOR ME THAT’S NOT BATABLE. “IF A DU AT YOUR SUPER BOWL PARTY IS HYPED ABOUT DAVID BECKHAM’S H&M UNRWEAR AD, SMACK THE ISH OUT OF HIM!” MART SAID ONE TWEET TO HIS ALMOST 95,000 FOLLOWERS. HE ALSO POSTED THIS ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE: “WHO THE HELL WAS THAT NEW ENGLAND PATRT THEY JT SHOWED A HEAD TO TOE PK SU? OH, HE NEEDS A VIS OM #TEAMWHIPDATASS.” WHEN I LLED ROLAND, HE TOLD ME HIS TENT WAS TO MOCK SOCCER AS FERR TO AMERIN FOOTBALL ORR TO RILE HIS IEND AND FELLOW CNN PERSONALY PIERS MAN. HE SEEMED VERY SCERE TO ME, AND I BELIEVE HIM, BUT THAT HARDLY EXC G ANTIGAY RHETORIC TO MAKE HIS POT. WE LIVE A WORLD WHERE LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR (LGBT) PEOPLE—AND THOSE PERCEIVED TO BE—ARE BULLIED AND VICTIMIZED EVERY DAY, AND SOMETIM EVEN KILLED. ROLAND’S TWEETS REMD MANY LGBT PEOPLE OF HUIATG SULTS THEY’VE SUFFERED THE PAST. IMPLYG THAT CERTA PEOPLE ARE NOT MANLY ENOUGH, OR MENTG ABOUT MEN PK SUS WHO NEED VISS OM #TEAMWHIPDATASS, FEEDS RIGHT TO RHETORIC THAT GRAS GAY PEOPLE, AT BT, AND EVOK VLENCE AGAST AT WORST. CONTEXT MATTERS.WHAT IS ALSO NOT BATABLE FOR ME IS THAT ROLAND MART IS NOT A HOMOPHOBE. I’VE SPENT TIME WH HIM AND HIS WIFE. I’VE HAD BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NVERSATNS WH HIM ABOUT HIS OPPOSN TO “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” HIS SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE, AND OUR DIVIDUAL PERSONAL LIV AND RELATNSHIPS. HE IS NOT THE KD OF PERSON TO ADVOTE VLENCE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE, OR ANYONE ELSE, FOR THAT MATTER. CONTEXT MATTERS.SO, WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE RPONSE? WHEN ROLAND AND I SPOKE, HE TOLD ME NO ONE OM GLAAD HAD LLED TO TALK WH HIM BEFORE THEY LLED FOR HIS HEAD. I SPOKE WH A GLAAD REPRENTATIVE WHO NFIRMED THAT NO ONE HAD LLED ROLAND TO HAVE A PRIVATE NVERSATN AND THAT THEIR ONLY MUNITNS WH HIM WERE THROUGH THE TWTER EXCHANGE ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.OUR SOCIETY HAS A TENNCY TO LATE NFLICT AND IMMEDIATELY GO TO STROY MO. TOO FEW PEOPLE SEEM TO RE TO CREATE REAL ROLUTNS. NOWHERE IS THIS MORE APPARENT THAN OUR POLICS. WE OFTEN ARE MORE TERTED MAKG POTS THAN FDG SOLUTNS. TOO OFTEN WE FOC ON ONE-UPMANSHIP AND MONIZATN OF THOSE WHOSE POTS OF VIEW ARE DIFFERENT OM OUR OWN.I THK THAT WE WALK A VERY DANGERO ROAD WHEN WE TURN THE VOLUME AND THE HEAT UP SO HIGH AND— THIS DAY OF TWTER AND FACEBOOK—SO QUICKLY THAT THE ONLY POSSIBLE OUTE IS WAR. OFTEN, THE LLATERAL DAMAGE IS TO MAKE ENEMI OUT OF THOSE WHO ULD BE ALLI.MANY OF PRAY FOR A DAY WHEN HOMOPHOBIA AND RACISM AND HIV/AIDS ARE THGS OF THE PAST AND WHEN MARGALIZG PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF INTY NO LONGER HAPPENS. SO I WONR IF WE MIGHT BENEF BY EXPANDG OUR TOOLBOX BEYOND NONTATN. BLACK MUNI ARE UP ARMS OVER THE POSSIBLE REMOVAL OF ONE OF THE FEW BLACK MENTATORS TELEVISN NEWS. MIGHT WE NSIR STRATEGI THAT WON’T P BLACK PEOPLE AGAST GAY PEOPLE, WH SOME OF STUCK THE MIDDLE?ROLAND MART, WHO HAS NOW BEEN SPEND BY CNN, IS A IEND. I HAVE LOTS OF IENDS WHO SAY AND DO THGS THAT I FD STUPID OR OFFENSIVE. AND I’M REMD EVERY DAY THAT GOD IS NOT DONE WH ME YET, EHER. I AM GRATEFUL EVERY TIME SOMEONE TAK THE TIME TO HELP ME WORK ON MY STUFF.FEW WOULD ARGUE THAT HOMOPHOBIA STILL EXISTS BLACK MUNI AND THAT RACISM AND OTHER KDS OF STIGMA ARE ALIVE AND WELL LGBT MUNI. BUT I HOPE WE N ALL AGREE THAT WHILE MUCH WORK IS LEFT TO BE DONE, WE ARE NOT WHERE WE ED TO BE, AND THAT SOMETIM IS BETTER TO TURN TOWARD ONE ANOTHER RATHER THAN ON ONE ANOTHER.MART LUTHER KG JR. SAID, “THE OLD LAW OF AN EYE FOR AN EYE LEAV EVERYBODY BLD. IT IS IMMORAL BEE SEEKS TO HUIATE THE OPPONENT RATHER THAN W HIS UNRSTANDG. IT SEEKS TO ANNIHILATE RATHER THAN TO NVERT.” PHILL WILSON
• INTENTN VS. IMPACT: ROLAND MART AND THE GAY COMMUNY

ROLAND MART MA MISTAK TWEETS DEEMED ANTIGAY BUT IS NO HOMOPHOBETHE CNN MENTATOR’S TWEETS WERE OFFENSIVE AND HOMOPHOBIC, BUT HE SHOULD NOT BE NMNED, SAYS PHILL WILSON.PHILL WILSONUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 11:32AM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2012 10:45PM EST HARAZ N. GHANBARI / AP PHOTOBEG BOTH BLACK AND GAY N BE, WELL, TERTG. BUT RARELY HAS THIS DUAL INTY MANIFTED SELF FOR ME AS DRAMATILLY AS DURG THE CURRENT NTROVERSY BETWEEN THE GAY AND LBIAN ALLIANCE AGAST DEFAMATN (GLAAD) AND THE BLACK TV AND RAD MENTATOR ROLAND MART.A WEEK AGO, TO MEMORATE BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENS DAY, I APPEARED ON A SEGMENT OF THE TOM JOYNER MORNG SHOW ABOUT AIDS THAT CLUD THE RAT OF HIV AMONG YOUNG BLACK GAY MEN, WHICH WAS PRODUCED AND HOSTED BY ROLAND MART. THAT SAME DAY I ALSO PARTNERED WH GLAAD TO PUBLISH AN HIV/AIDS EDORIAL.UNBEKNOWNST TO ME AT THE TIME, ROLAND HAD SENT OUT DURG THE SUPER BOWL SOME TWEETS THAT GLAAD AND OTHERS BELIEVE ADVOTED VLENCE AGAST GAY MEN. ROLAND NI THIS WAS HIS TENT.ROLAND’S TWEETS WERE OFFENSIVE AND HOMOPHOBIC. FOR ME THAT’S NOT BATABLE. “IF A DU AT YOUR SUPER BOWL PARTY IS HYPED ABOUT DAVID BECKHAM’S H&M UNRWEAR AD, SMACK THE ISH OUT OF HIM!” MART SAID ONE TWEET TO HIS ALMOST 95,000 FOLLOWERS. HE ALSO POSTED THIS ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE: “WHO THE HELL WAS THAT NEW ENGLAND PATRT THEY JT SHOWED A HEAD TO TOE PK SU? OH, HE NEEDS A VIS OM #TEAMWHIPDATASS.” WHEN I LLED ROLAND, HE TOLD ME HIS TENT WAS TO MOCK SOCCER AS FERR TO AMERIN FOOTBALL ORR TO RILE HIS IEND AND FELLOW CNN PERSONALY PIERS MAN. HE SEEMED VERY SCERE TO ME, AND I BELIEVE HIM, BUT THAT HARDLY EXC G ANTIGAY RHETORIC TO MAKE HIS POT. WE LIVE A WORLD WHERE LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR (LGBT) PEOPLE—AND THOSE PERCEIVED TO BE—ARE BULLIED AND VICTIMIZED EVERY DAY, AND SOMETIM EVEN KILLED. ROLAND’S TWEETS REMD MANY LGBT PEOPLE OF HUIATG SULTS THEY’VE SUFFERED THE PAST. IMPLYG THAT CERTA PEOPLE ARE NOT MANLY ENOUGH, OR MENTG ABOUT MEN PK SUS WHO NEED VISS OM #TEAMWHIPDATASS, FEEDS RIGHT TO RHETORIC THAT GRAS GAY PEOPLE, AT BT, AND EVOK VLENCE AGAST AT WORST. CONTEXT MATTERS.WHAT IS ALSO NOT BATABLE FOR ME IS THAT ROLAND MART IS NOT A HOMOPHOBE. I’VE SPENT TIME WH HIM AND HIS WIFE. I’VE HAD BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NVERSATNS WH HIM ABOUT HIS OPPOSN TO “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” HIS SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE, AND OUR DIVIDUAL PERSONAL LIV AND RELATNSHIPS. HE IS NOT THE KD OF PERSON TO ADVOTE VLENCE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE, OR ANYONE ELSE, FOR THAT MATTER. CONTEXT MATTERS.SO, WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE RPONSE? WHEN ROLAND AND I SPOKE, HE TOLD ME NO ONE OM GLAAD HAD LLED TO TALK WH HIM BEFORE THEY LLED FOR HIS HEAD. I SPOKE WH A GLAAD REPRENTATIVE WHO NFIRMED THAT NO ONE HAD LLED ROLAND TO HAVE A PRIVATE NVERSATN AND THAT THEIR ONLY MUNITNS WH HIM WERE THROUGH THE TWTER EXCHANGE ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.OUR SOCIETY HAS A TENNCY TO LATE NFLICT AND IMMEDIATELY GO TO STROY MO. TOO FEW PEOPLE SEEM TO RE TO CREATE REAL ROLUTNS. NOWHERE IS THIS MORE APPARENT THAN OUR POLICS. WE OFTEN ARE MORE TERTED MAKG POTS THAN FDG SOLUTNS. TOO OFTEN WE FOC ON ONE-UPMANSHIP AND MONIZATN OF THOSE WHOSE POTS OF VIEW ARE DIFFERENT OM OUR OWN.I THK THAT WE WALK A VERY DANGERO ROAD WHEN WE TURN THE VOLUME AND THE HEAT UP SO HIGH AND— THIS DAY OF TWTER AND FACEBOOK—SO QUICKLY THAT THE ONLY POSSIBLE OUTE IS WAR. OFTEN, THE LLATERAL DAMAGE IS TO MAKE ENEMI OUT OF THOSE WHO ULD BE ALLI.MANY OF PRAY FOR A DAY WHEN HOMOPHOBIA AND RACISM AND HIV/AIDS ARE THGS OF THE PAST AND WHEN MARGALIZG PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF INTY NO LONGER HAPPENS. SO I WONR IF WE MIGHT BENEF BY EXPANDG OUR TOOLBOX BEYOND NONTATN. BLACK MUNI ARE UP ARMS OVER THE POSSIBLE REMOVAL OF ONE OF THE FEW BLACK MENTATORS TELEVISN NEWS. MIGHT WE NSIR STRATEGI THAT WON’T P BLACK PEOPLE AGAST GAY PEOPLE, WH SOME OF STUCK THE MIDDLE?ROLAND MART, WHO HAS NOW BEEN SPEND BY CNN, IS A IEND. I HAVE LOTS OF IENDS WHO SAY AND DO THGS THAT I FD STUPID OR OFFENSIVE. AND I’M REMD EVERY DAY THAT GOD IS NOT DONE WH ME YET, EHER. I AM GRATEFUL EVERY TIME SOMEONE TAK THE TIME TO HELP ME WORK ON MY STUFF.FEW WOULD ARGUE THAT HOMOPHOBIA STILL EXISTS BLACK MUNI AND THAT RACISM AND OTHER KDS OF STIGMA ARE ALIVE AND WELL LGBT MUNI. BUT I HOPE WE N ALL AGREE THAT WHILE MUCH WORK IS LEFT TO BE DONE, WE ARE NOT WHERE WE ED TO BE, AND THAT SOMETIM IS BETTER TO TURN TOWARD ONE ANOTHER RATHER THAN ON ONE ANOTHER.MART LUTHER KG JR. SAID, “THE OLD LAW OF AN EYE FOR AN EYE LEAV EVERYBODY BLD. IT IS IMMORAL BEE SEEKS TO HUIATE THE OPPONENT RATHER THAN W HIS UNRSTANDG. IT SEEKS TO ANNIHILATE RATHER THAN TO NVERT.” PHILL WILSON

Roland Mart Gay? Once he was volved a ntroversy for postg anti-gay post twter and for that he was highly cricized by the Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn. 0The CNN mentator’s tweets were offensive and homophobic, but he should not be nmned, says Phill N.

Ghanbari / AP PhotoBeg both black and gay n be, well, tertg.

But rarely has this dual inty manifted self for me as dramatilly as durg the current ntroversy between the Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn (GLAAD) and the black TV and rad mentator Roland Mart. A week ago, to memorate Black HIV/AIDS Awarens Day, I appeared on a segment of the Tom Joyner morng show about AIDS that clud the rat of HIV among young black gay men, which was produced and hosted by Roland Mart.

INTENTN VS. IMPACT: ROLAND MART AND THE GAY COMMUNY

Unbeknownst to me at the time, Roland had sent out durg the Super Bowl some tweets that GLAAD and others believe advoted vlence agast gay men.

Roland ni this was his ’s tweets were offensive and homophobic. He seemed very scere to me, and I believe him, but that hardly exc g antigay rhetoric to make his pot. We live a world where lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people—and those perceived to be—are bullied and victimized every day, and sometim even killed.

Implyg that certa people are not manly enough, or mentg about men pk sus who need viss om #teamwhipdatass, feeds right to rhetoric that gras gay people, at bt, and evok vlence agast at worst. Context is also not batable for me is that Roland Mart is not a homophobe. I’ve had both public and private nversatns wh him about his opposn to “don’t ask, don’t tell, ” his support of gay marriage, and our dividual personal liv and relatnships.