Rich people are above politics, but we are not

The infamous picture of Ellen DeGeneres hanging out with former president George W. Bush at a Cowboys game has finally left the media circuit, so now is a perfect time to bring it up again.

And yes, she did kiss Howard Stern on her show to make everyone forget about the picture.

According to a CNN report, DeGeneres compared her friendship with Bush to people who are against wearing furs and those who wear them. She emphasized that people can be friends with others who do not share their beliefs and that we should “be kind to everyone.”

Kindness is necessary. As the proverb goes, the homophobe changes their opinion not by getting yelled at, but because they befriend the gay person at work who eats lunch with them every day. And that works in some cases, but marginalized groups should not be expected to place themselves in danger or act as a benevolent educator to those who see them as unnatural.

The last three years have been enough to numb anyone to the scandal-after-scandal cycle that we are caught in. However, hanging out with the same people who publicly, visibly threatened your right to marry, receive benefits or even exist without being attacked is going to reflect badly. That is something that DeGeneres needs to face. The LGBTQ+ portion of her audience – and all of it, really – deserve better.

During his term in office, Bush supported the Federal Marriage Amendment that would define marriage solely as the union between one man and one woman and advocated for keeping same-sex marriage out of the US Constitution. Bush also threatened to veto the 2007 Local Law Enforcement Prevention of Hate Crimes Act that would have included attacks based on sexual orientation as hate crimes.

When Barack Obama was in office, it was only with encouragement from Joe Biden that he reversed his anti-same-sex marriage stance and pushed for marriage equality. As early as 2004 Obama was quoted in a Chicago television interview that marriage was a union of man and woman and was not a civil right. He would go on to repeal the oppressive Don’t Ask Don’t Tell military policy and advocate openly for total marriage equality for same-sex couples.

People are capable of change and righting their wrongs. But Bush painting dogs to cope with his war actions overseas is not an apology. Bush hanging out with DeGeneres at a football game despite his record is not an apology.

What I am saying is nothing new, but it’s important to reiterate, time and time again, until it is a message that is impossible to lose in tumultuous headlines. Criticism does not equate to hate, and even if it does little in the moment, we have the ability to remind celebrities and politicians that people are watching and that they are not above their fans or constituents. Don’t just pay lip service to the LGBTQ+ community. The people you hang out with matter.

Article written by Maclen Johnson.