CNN suspended political analyst Roland Martin on Wednesday after critics called a series of his Superbowl tweets homophobic.
Martin created controversy after he tweeted about a Superbowl commercial:
"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."
He later tweeted, "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."
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD, said the tweets advocated anti-gay violence.
Spokesman Rich Ferraro said in a statement on the GLAAD website he was encouraged CNN took the matter seriously.
Martin publicly apologized for his statements and agreed to meet with GLAAD.
Gay rights organizations have been targeting anti-gay comments they say lead to bullying and teen depression, especially in the wake of young suicides across the nation.
Bridget Siegel, external vice president of the Pride Student Union at UF, said statements like Martin's could lead to misunderstanding and prejudice.
"What we have to do is try to prevent comments like this from being made," Siegel said, "and from being made public to make sure we're preventing suicides of innocent people."
Norman Lewis, journalism assistant professor, said the most important question to this particular skirmish is whether Martin's tweets were made in bias or ignorance.
"If someone is advocating violent words in response to perceived sexual orientation — that's pretty indefensible," he said. "I'd rather presume most people say things without realizing the impact of their words."
There are countless things people say in everyday life, unaware of the harm those words could bring to others, said Lewis. Some Americans also have only been exposed to heterosexual relationships, leaving some to make assumptions regarding homosexuality.
However educated Martin may or may not be regarding sexual orientation, Lewis believed CNN's reaction may depend on GLAAD's feelings after its meeting with Martin.
"I think his future is in GLAAD's hands," Lewis said, "not CNN's hands."
Despite the brouhaha, some thought Martin's remarks were harmless.
Doriah Bareket, a 23-year-old science management master student, said she wouldn't have noticed the anti-gay undertone if it wasn't pointed out to her.
"Guys make those kinds of jokes to each other all the time," she said. "I think he probably shouldn't have posted it online because of his position, but I don't think this should be worth a large segment on the news."
