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Are Black Male Celebs and Athletes More Homophobic?

PHOTO: GETTY

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said that he would "absolutely not" have an issue with a gay teammate ... but you may not have heard this or other recent pro-gay statements made by several Black athletes and celebrities. My latest for The Black AIDS Institute: "Black Male Celebs and Homophobia: One Stereotype, Yet Many Perspective"

The perception of pervasive homophobia within the Black community, especially among Black men, has evolved into a media narrative. Yet while Chris Culliver's remarks created a firestorm, other Black athletes and entertainers made pro-gay statements around the same time frame that received nowhere near the amount of attention as Culliver's comments. Those comments paint a more nuanced story about homophobia among prominent Black men, as well as within Black America.

Read it HERE.

VIDEO: Jennifer Hudson and Sandy Hook Students at Super Bowl

PHOTOS: GETTY

One of the most poignant moments of Super Bowl XLVII was the opening sequence of Jennifer Hudson performing "America The Beautiful" with the Sandy Hook Elementary School Chorus.

Twenty children and six administrators were gunned down on December 14 at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The incident was the second deadliest school shooting in United States history after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. Senseless, awful and tragic.

Classes resumed last month. Watch the performance AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO, PHOTOS: Beyoncé/Destiny's Child Reunion at Super Bowl

PHOTOS: GETTY

Beyoncé performs at Super Bowl half-time, reunites with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child, causes a huge power surge and shuts down the half the electricity at the New Orleans Super Dome ...

Any questions?

More photos and watch the video WHEN YOU JUMP ...

VIDEO: Beyoncé's Flawless Live Performance of National Anthem

Beyoncé opened her Super Bowl press conference this afternoon with a flawless two minute live rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."

"Any questions?" she asked reporters.

Take THAT, haters! Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

EBONY: Ayanbadejo to Speak Out for Equality at Super Bowl

Our latest at EBONY: An analysis of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo's announcement that he will advocate for equality at the Super Bowl. Here's a snip:

Ayanbadejo "has totally squashed the ‘dumb jock’ stereotype,” former pro-basketball player DeMarco Majors told EBONY.com.

Wade Davis played for the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks.  Davis has come out as openly gay after retirement."It's extremely important that Brendon is Black and supporting [gay rights] because of the false perception that the Black community is more homophobic than others," said Davis.

Public opposition to gay rights and same-sex marriage is rapidly eroding—but the locker rooms and clubhouses of the four major pro-sports leagues remain among the last bastions of homophobia. There are no openly gay players in basketball football, hockey or baseball.

Despite evidence to the contrary—such as numerous surveys or voting patterns—the “perception” of pervasive homophobia in the Black community has morphed into a media narrative. A number of Black professional athletes have emerged in recent years to counter the stereotype—such as Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Michael Strahan, Robert Griffin III, Donte Stallworth and others.

Read the full piece HERE.

You may recall that I interviewed Wade Davis, DeMarco Majors and Will Sheridan on "Coming Out in the Locker Room" for the newish anthology For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Still Not Enough. Keith Boykin is the editor.

Former NFL Player Kwame Harris Charged w/ Assaulting Ex-Boyfriend

Former San Francisco 49er Kwame Harris has been charged with felony domestic violence and assault charges in connection with an August 2012 incident involving an ex-boyfriend. Harris pleaded "not guilty" at Monday's preliminary hearing in San Mateo and is free on $75,000, reports FOX Sports.

Harris was an offensive tackle who played five seasons with the Super Bowl-bound 49ers and one season with the Oakland Raiders. The former pro-footballer allegedly attacked his ex-boyfriend at a restaurant, adds the San Francisco Chronicle.

Harris, 30, became angry with Dimitri Geier, 36. The ex-football player got incensed when Geier tried to put soy sauce on Harris' rice, said Al Serrato, a San Mateo County prosecutor. During the restaurant argument, Harris accused Geier of stealing his underwear, Serrato said. Harris then tried to pull down Geier's pants, the prosecutor said.

Harris, 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, then pinned Geier (6-1, 220 pounds) against a plate-glass window and hit him several times in the face and head, Serrato said. Doctors at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose determined that Geier had sustained complex compound facial fractures that required surgery and the insertion of a metal plate.

Prosecutors are pursuing the domestic violence charge because Harris and Geier used to live together. Harris now becomes one of only a handful of former pro-footballers to come out of the closet, notes FOX Sports.

Although a handful of former NFL players have come out as gay, none has while still wearing a uniform. Cintean said Harris, who played for Stanford before he was drafted by the 49ers in 2003 and has gone back to school to finish his undergraduate degree, identifies as gay but "is not very public about it. He is a very private person. He doesn't like to talk about his personal life," [Harris' lawyer, Alin Cintean] said.

One final note: It would be a cheap shot to joke about Harris and Geier's argument at the restaurant. Domestic violence is never a laughing matter ... and  the escalating number of cases have become almost an epidemic in sports.

In 2010, "there were 125 [professional and college athletes] arrested during a six month period, including 70 college football players," reports ESPN's Jemele Hill. "Domestic violence cases accounted for nearly 20 percent of the total."

Brendon Ayanbadejo to Use Super Bowl as a Platform for Equality

Very nice. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo wants to leverage his upcoming appearance at the Super Bowl into a platform for gay rights and marriage equality. That's according to an email Ayanbadejo sent to New York Times columnist Frank Bruni only hours after his team won the AFC Championship.

He tapped out an email to Brian Ellner, a leading marriage-equality advocate with whom he had worked before, and Michael Skolnik, the political director for Russell Simmons, a hip-hop mogul who has become involved in many issues, including same-sex marriage.

Ayanbadejo wrote: “Is there anything I can do for marriage equality or anti- bullying over the next couple of weeks to harness this Super Bowl media?” The time stamp on the email was 3:40:35 A.M.

The weeks leading up to Superbowl XLVII in New Orleans will be key to building Ayanbadejo's "super" platform.

Throughout his week, Ayanbadejo has been—and will be—talking to gay-rights advocates about how to seize this moment. For example, he’s been swapping emails with Hudson Taylor, the founder and executive director of Athlete Ally, a group dedicated to ridding sports at all levels—high school, college, professional—of homophobia. "He’s so excited and ready to take a stand in whatever way he can," said Taylor. "He is leveraging the biggest sports stage in the world."

He’s also in conversations with Ellner and Skolnik specifically about marriage equality. Said Ellner: “He understands that as a straight biracial player in the Super Bowl, he can have a huge impact on the future of this issue.”

Ayanbadejo says his ultimate goal is to bring his message—and a Super Bowl Ring—on Ellen Degeneres' show.  Yaassss.

Ayanbadejo has emerged as one of the most articulate supporters of gay rights in professional sport. The three-time Pro Bowler—who became an internet phenom due to a few strategically-placed accessories—was profiled by the Washington Post for his strong support of gay rights.

Maryland voters made history last November when they chose to uphold the state’s same-sex marriage law. Brendon Ayanbadejo was a vocal advocate for the pro-equality side. Same-sex couples can now legally marry in nine states and the District of Columbia.

Brendon Ayanbadejo Coverage on R20:
Brendon Ayanbadejo Models Nipple Rings on the Field
Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo Supports Marriage Equality
WaPo on Brendon Ayanbadejo's Support for Gay Marriage
Ravens LB Ayanbadejo for Maryland Marriage Equality
Ayanbadejo: "Being Gay is No Big Deal"

Roland Martin Returns to CNN

CNN announced that it has lifted its suspension on political analyst Roland S. Martin, reports Fishbowl DC.

CNN staff was alerted today on the 10 am conference call that Roland Martin‘s suspension has been lifted. Martin, who hosts “Washington Watch” and is a CNN Contributor, was suspended shortly after Super Bowl Sunday when he wrote tweets that were construed by some to be homophobic. He apologized, but CNN held fast to the suspension until today.

CNN suspended Martin indefinitely on February 8 for a series of "offensive, homophobic" tweets during the Super Bowl. This came after the Chicago-based radio host was the target of a social media action by GLAAD and the National Black Justice Coalition.

During his suspension, Martin met with GLAAD leadership. The group said the meeting signified the "beginning of an open and honest dialogue." Martin issued another boilerplate "apology", boasted of his support for gay adoption and repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and added, "I have no plan to abandon my goal as a truth teller on a variety of issues; and, yes, that includes those that may be on the LGBT agenda."

Martin has previously compared gays to alcoholics, defended Tracy Morgan's violent homophobic comedy skit and slammed "gay blogs" for "savagely attacking" anti-gay Miss California Carrie Prejean.

Martin's tweets about homophobic violence were delivered at the same time a young Black gay man was viciously attacked by a gang in Atlanta. Brandon White's brutal assault was videotaped, uploaded to the internet and went viral with millions of views. Three young men are in police custody. A fourth man was indicted but has not been arrested.

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CNN Suspends Roland Martin for Homophobic Tweets

CNN Suspends Roland Martin for "Offensive", Homophobic Tweets

CNN has suspended contributor Roland S. Martin for a homophobic series of tweets during the Super Bowl.

The Chicago-based radio host has been under fire since Sunday and the target of an social media action by GLAAD and the National Black Justice Coalition. CNN has been quiet until now when it released this statement:

Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. 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.”

CNN took its time, but it clearly reached a strong decision here. What Martin had tweeted — advocating beatings for men who’d enjoyed the David Beckham underwear ad shown during the Super Bowl plus the same for a New England Patriot clad in a pink suit — was the equivalent of cheerleading for violence against gays.

"CNN today took a strong stand against anti-LGBT violence and language that demeans any community," said GLAAD spokesperson Rich Ferraro. "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."

Roland Martin's homophobic comments should come as no surprise to R20 readers. Martin has previously compared gays to alcoholics, defended Tracy Morgan's violent homophobic comedy skit and slammed "gay blogs" for "savagely attacking" anti-gay Miss California Carrie Prejean.

More recently: Actor Boris Kodjoe criticized Roland Martin for describing homosexuality as a choice or "gay lifestyle."

Martin has a major platform across Black media—radio, television and magazines—and his words are particularly harmful to Black LGBTs. Despite his well-documented homophobic track record, a number of Black gay voices have defended Martin and attacked GLAAD and other activists. Rev. Kevin E. Taylor, the New Jersey-based pastor, gay activist, author and producer dissects this in an excellent op-ed at RollingOut.com:

Martin is the “crazy uncle” who we are used to coming into the room and saying stupid things. ... We are used to the Rolands of our world ranting about stuff in off-handed ways. [So] many Black gay men have learned to absorb the shock of these comments and keep it moving “cuz that’s just how he is."

We are often still so ensconced in our Black community ... because we still find more sanctuary in Blackness than in gayness. We would rather take off-the-chin remarks from the family "we know loves us" because we have at least had great memories of family gatherings that just happened to include the crazy uncles and the Bible-toting aunts who say they love us but not "that lifestyle." I am pissed off and disappointed at members of my own community because while I completely understand the need to be close to the family and stay close to home, we’ve got to be willing to grow up.

It's an excellent op-ed. Read it HERE.

Martin's "jokes" about homophobic violence were delivered at the same time a young Black gay man was viciously attacked by a gang in Atlanta. The video-taped gay-bashing has gone viral. The FBI has has joined the police investigation.

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Roland Martin: Smack Any "Dude" Who Likes Beckham's Underwear Ad

CNN contributor Roland Martin has previously discussed his discomfort around the "gay lifestyle." Martin's thinly-veiled homophobia has again become a flash point—this time after a series of tweets during the Super Bowl that resulted in GLAAD demanding his removal from the cable news network.

Martin tweeted this to his 95,000 followers after the debut of an H&M commercial featuring a scantily clad David Beckham: "If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!"

GLAAD promptly responded:

@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT

Martin's response:

@GLAAD @cnn well you're clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you're way off base.

Martin later released an "apology" that attempts to defend his series tweets as simple trash-talking:

I made several cracks about soccer as I do all the time. I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I’m sorry folks took it otherwise. It was meant to be a deliberately over the top and sarcastic crack about soccer; I do not advocate violence of any kind against anyone gay, or not.

GLAAD notes that this is only the latest in a series of homophobic behavior from a man who recently defended comedian Tracy Morgan's anti-gay rant: "Roland Martin has never compared being a soccer fan to being an alcoholic, the way he has compared being gay to being an alcoholic.  Roland Martin has never bragged that his wife has led men and women away from the “soccer lifestyle,” the way he claims she has with gay people. Roland Martin has never defended jokes about parents stabbing soccer-playing children, the way he defended jokes about parents stabbing gay children. "

Roland Martin's comments should come as no surprise to R20 readers. In a controversial CNN.com column "Miss California, Thanks for Being Honest," the radio host and CNN personality slammed "gay-focused blogs" and defended anti-gay Miss California Carrie Prejean because "she has been savagely attacked" for speaking the "truth."

Martin also attends the Chicago mega-church of anti-gay pastor and State. Sen. Rev. James Meeks. eeks has called homosexuality "an evil sickness" and was the only black legislator voting against Illinois' civil unions bill. Martin has defended Meeks' positions on gays. M

More recently: Actor and LGBT ally Boris Kodjoe sent a fantastic series of tweets slamming Eddie Long and the Black church's hypocrisy on gays—and criticizing Roland Martin for describing same-sex behavior as a choice or  "gay lifestyle."

Martin has a major platform in Black media—radio, television and magazines—and his words are particularly harmful to Black LGBTs. "Even if he meant it in a jovial manner, Roland Martin’s words carry a real impact on the everyday lives of Black LGBT people, especially our youth," says National Black Justice Coalition Executive Director Sharon Lettman. "Given the number of rash murders, attacks and violent acts involving LGBT people of color, we cannot let statements such as this go unchecked. Silence is a form of acceptance and only perpetuates the problem."

Read GLAAD's complaint HERE
SIGN the petition at Change.org.