As a Floridian, I have followed Joy Reid’s career for more than a decade, well before she was a prominent voice on the national media scene. In that time I have known her to be an insightful voice for those whose voices are seldom heard.
A black woman in a world dominated by white men, Joy has provided a platform for important discussions on racism, sexism, HIV, gun violence, the erosion of democracy and a range of other issues that impact the LGBTQ community.
I believe her voice continues to be all too rare and even more important now.
I have also seen Joy make mistakes and I’ve seen her apologize for her errors fully, sincerely and without excuse.
Her comments, mirroring those of gay friends around her, that labeled Charlie Crist a hypocritical closeted gay man were wrong and played to homophobia no matter her intent.
She acknowledged that failure publicly and apologized directly to Crist.
Now additional comments, allegedly excavated from an online archive and attributed to Joy, are being circulated by the same outlet that put a spotlight on her old Crist posts.
I have taken the time to read those comments that fall into two categories.
Comments Joy acknowledges as hers that require an apology and ones Joy says have been fabricated by hackers.
It is a brave new world of bots and troll farm and I’m not a cybersecurity expert.
My role is not to verify or dismiss that claim.
But I will return to the comments that were indisputably made by Joy.
For example, calling Ann Coulter a drag queen fuels anti-transgender sentiment and is not defensible. I requested a call with Joy and she spoke to me this afternoon. Joy apologized for the Coulter comments, acknowledging that they were ignorant and hurtful and do not reflect where she is now. We also discussed ways she could address the topic on an upcoming show.
I am glad Joy has come to understand the harm and apologized. I urged her to do so publicly on air and online.
The work I do at Equality Florida is built on the premise that through connection and education people will evolve and we have seen one-time opponents become allies and we’ve seen allies become champions.
Accountability from our opponents and our friends alike is vital.
When Florida’s Lt. Governor made a disparaging remark about lesbians I took her to task and also accepted her sincere apology. In 2008, even as I celebrated the election of Barack Obama, who had included LGBT voices as no previous candidate had, I penned a column criticizing him publicly for opposing marriage equality.
We must call for accountability and amends from those who have the power to make the world more or less safe by their words and actions, but I am not Madame LaFarge condemning every transgression as a capital offense from which there can be no redemption.
I look forward to seeing the amends Joy will make and I remain grateful for her voice in the national media landscape.
Nadine Smith is the Executive Director of Equality Florida