Roland Martin's Controversial Tweets Draw Attention To Issues Faced By LGBT Blacks, Activists Say

[onpatrol98]

Roland Martin's Controversial Tweets Draw Attention To Issues Faced By LGBT Blacks, Activists Say

When CNN contributor Roland Martin fired off a series of tweets during the Super Bowl that many people considered homophobic and advocating of violence against gays, a shudder ran down Kimberly McLeod's spine.

Roland Martin, who is African-American, has a wide reach, as a result of his frequent appearances on cable television and radio news programs, his popular website and his more than 98,000 followers on Twitter. And McLeod, who is a field strategist for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said the impact of Martin's words, especially among blacks, could feed such homophobia.

"A lot of people are debating the power of these tweets and the comments he posted," said McLeod, whose work includes outreach in the black community. "As a public figure who has almost 100,000 Twitter followers and who is showing up in the homes of millions of Americans, he has a responsibility to send a message that does not encourage violence toward LGBT people or people who are perceived to be gay."

"At the core of it is that anti-gay language has the power to fuel hostility that can manifest in very really ways for members of the LGBT community, especially when you look at the black LGBT community," McLeod said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/lgbt-blacks_n_1269252.html