There was a lot for me to think about after this year's Super Bowl: the ads that aired, the comments that were made, and particularly the responses to the comments that rocked the nation.
After many days of reflection, and seeing many events unfold, including the recent suspension of CNN contributor and TV One host Roland Martin, I felt the need to articulate my thoughts in a more constructive and forward-thinking manner.
There is a lot to be taken from Roland Martin's suspension from CNN, and it shouldn't just be him learning a lesson.
As a young, openly gay, Asian man, I have experienced bullying and the impact violence can have in one's life -- because it affected mine. Believe me, I agree with many that the tweets following David Beckham's H&M ads were homophobic and perpetuated the type of violence many of us are working hard to free ourselves from.
However, there's a story to be told about the way our "movement" goes about holding people accountable and building allies in our quest for true equality. Can we truly celebrate the suspension of one of the few people of color from TV? For many people, Roland Martin is their news and the perspective that shines light on how they view the world.
There are many elected officials, entertainers, news anchors, and faith leaders who advocate for homophobia and violence to our communities. Where is their accountability? Where are the petitions and energy poured into holding those people accountable according to our standards of justice? We talk about not being treated with double standards, yet we sometimes force them onto others. We need to do better. We have to be better.
This apparently wasn't the first time Roland Martin said something homophobic. Were there any efforts to engage in a conversation with him any of those other times? Could we have turned such an important figure into an ally or stronger advocate for our issues?
All I know is that the attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender folks are also being felt by immigrants, women, students, working-class families, and so many others that we have no choice but to come together in order to defend what is left, or we will see decades of struggle reversed.
Conservatives know how to divide and conquer our communities -- and we fall for it every time. In the amount of time and energy we have spent tweeting about the suspension of Roland Martin, which is most likely not going to last, the next attack on Planned Parenthood or labor unions is being waged.
This is not to say we are close to seeing a world where we are all being treated equally and fairly. This is also not to say we shouldn't hold people accountable or call out inappropriate language, because we should.
But until we break down the silos and see that a number of issues we care about intersect, we will continue to miss out on opportunities to build an inclusive and cohesive movement. In this political moment we must be more strategic and mindful about how we are engaging potential allies and the analysis on who is really on our side.
As a movement, we need to lead with more love and compassion. I'm tired of working from a place of reaction and fear. I'm in this fight for my family, my community, and my friends, and I'm in it for the long run. The world I envision isn't possible unless we can all be our full selves and not have to apologize about the identities that we hold. But my world also allows for folks from all communities, especially the underrepresented ones, to come together and strengthen our movement through love.
Let us take a moment to reflect, and figure out how we can build a bolder, more visionary, and necessary agenda together.