even if he's saying all of this as a joke, that doesn't make it any less offensive. not just that, what about the fans who read his tweets and may not realize that he's joking (though, personally, i think he believes a lot of what he says)? those fans will think that hitting woman can be justified. plus, even if it is a joke, it's reinforcing the opinion that sometimes hitting women is acceptable.

he's great when it comes to gay rights, but that doesn't mean he doesn't fail in other ways. plenty of people who support gay right, or even are gay themselves, fail when it comes to sexism. feminists can be offensive when talking about race, or can be ableist. and so on. people fail, and that's ok just as long as you're willing to learn. but i don't think that frank is.