Roland Martin and Raynard Jackson

Warning: the 'n' word is used in this article.

by Dick Mac

No! It's not OK to be a homophobe, even if you're black. This notion that black men somehow get a pass on homophobia is not acceptable.

Making jokes about effeminate men, or bisexual men, or homosexual men, or celibate men -- making fag jokes -- is no more acceptable than making nigger jokes. Sure, some people might laugh - some out of nervousness, some out of true hatred -- but we all know it's wrong.

CNN suspended Roland Martin, one of its commentators, last month after he tweeted a homophobic remark about David Beckham's underwear. Any man who was interested in seeing the Super Bowl ad for Beckham's underwear, according to Martin, needs to be beaten. He wrote:

Ain't no real bruhs going to H&M to buy some damn David Beckham underwear! ..If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the sh@t out of him!

Why is Mr. Martin talking about some half-naked guy's underwear? Another quote comes to mind:

The lady protests too much, methinks.

I mean, look at his picture, he even looks like a closeted fag. Can't you see it?

Oh, I'm just kidding. Really! It's just a joke. Know what I mean?

Imagine if Dan Patrick or Boomer Esiason ever tweeted during the Super Bowl:

If a black dude @ yr Super Bowl party thinks yr daughters attractive, u better lynch him.

We would all be shocked. They would be fired (not suspended) and they may actually be arrested or sued.

Then comes forward "black conservative" (tee-hee - I know, poor thing), Raynard Jackson, to turn this into a racial issue and explain that gay people want special status. You see, since Martin is black, then Jackson is shocked that he has been "tarred and feathered" (his words) by the homosexuals.

The public dialog in defense of Martin has also included that old homophobic stand-by that being homosexual is not the same thing as being black. Duh-huh, no shit Holmes! Unless, of course, the homosexual is black, then it is exactly the same.

But nobody is saying that being gay is like being black!

Hating homosexuals is the same thing as hating blacks, however. It's hate.

And advocating violence against homosexuals is the same thing as advocating violence against blacks. It's illegal.

And sharing bigoted feelings about homosexuals is the same thing as sharing bigoted feelings about blacks. It's immoral.

Roland Martin and Raynard Jackson are sick men, they have hearts filled with hate. They do not need to be suspended from their jobs, they need deep psychological counseling.

I know, I know, Martin was only joking. You know, joking like this:

Look at his big eyes and his watermelon smile, he's a jungle-bunny, a little black Sambo, he's baggy-lipped and his big thighs make it hard for him to swim. You know, he's probably syphilitic! I mean, I'm not a racist, but he is a nigger, really, and he doesn't deserve any special treatment. But, you know, I'm really only joking. Know what I mean? It's all just a couple of guys shooting the breeze. No harm intended. Right?

None of that is acceptable. I should not even have written it. I want to highlight that we all know it's wrong to spew forth racist garbage like that; but somehow a huge part of our society thinks it's OK to spew forth that kind of garbage about homosexuals.

Using the notion that Martin was only kidding means that anyone who wants to spew forth the words I wrote above are allowed to do so because, well, you know . . . it's just a joke.

Ha - ha - ha.

Roland Martin, CNN, GLAAD and the silence of black leaders