“Guess what? I didn’t choose my family. I choose my friends. I love Billy. He has a Republican mind. And, guess what? I don’t. But do I hate him for having the mind that he has? No, I can’t.
You give people chances, when sometimes, they don’t even know what they’re doing or why. So I can’t beat him up for the rest of his life. I decided to take the high road with him by letting him know that you make mistakes, but when my name comes in that mistake, that’s a no-no.”
Patti LaBelle speaking to O Magazine about her gay, Trump-supporting nephew.
Related: Meet Dean Browning, the politician busted for likely posing as gay, Black, Trump-lover on Twitter
missvamp
good for her! i’ve disowned all my trump supporting family. until they repent their ways- they aren’t my family. i don’t acknowledge bigots & racists. i’m not as evolved as patti i guess.
GlobeTrotter
Child…she’s a bigger man that I’ll ever be! It’s simply not possible to be a Trump supporter and still enjoy the right to my friendship, PERIOD! I had one friend come stay over for the weekend, and when he opened his mouth about his support for Trump and how all Muslims should be deported and asylum seekers banned from entering the country, I threw him out of my house into the freezing cold on the spot, but not before reminding him how his Jewish grandparents came to America as refugees back when they were being massacred in Europe, and how if America hadn’t taken them in, he wouldn’t be alive to spew hatred on other refugees seeking the same protections his grandparents did. A NYC Jew that supports Trump and hates Muslims and refugees is one contradiction I’m not willing to abide by in my own house! After throwing him out, I promptly deleted his contact from my iPhone, blocked him on social media and posted a severe warning on Facebook, informing any friend of mine that supports Trump to choose here and now, between Me or Trump! I will not abide hatred and racism in my circle of friends or my family!
Harley
I cut off all my Ted Cruz loving relatives long before Trump came around. They loved trump even more than Ted Cruz. Good riddance.
o.codone
Globetrotter. What a hater you are. You threw somebody out of your house for their political views? Intolerant bigot. You’re a bigger hater than anyone at your party. Besides, FDR a democrat, refused a ship full of refugees who were then sent back to europe and killed in camps. So. Be sanctimonious, but your hatred is the same as your Trump supporter friends. Exactly the same. And the same as FDR’s. You disgust me.
GlobeTrotter
@o.codone: sorry but I make NO APOLOGIES for my intolerance of intolerance! It was our kindness and understanding for intolerance that got a bigot installed into the White House in the first place.
You want to be a bigot? Then you get thrown out on your ass, end of conversation.
boblrice
@o.codone First, he didn’t kick this person out of his house for being simply a Republican. He did so because his former friend was a bigot and fan of Trump. Trump does not equal the GOP, well at least not all of the GOP.
Second, FDR turned away that ship 80 years ago. Trump’s bigotry is TODAY. We are not the same nation today as we were 80 years ago. I fail to see how he’s relevant here, except for what? He’s a Democrat with a spotted past when it comes to refugees.
Kangol2
She is fabulous. Always has been, always will be. Love you, Ms. Patti LaBelle!
Gigi Gee
She’s a much bigger person than I am. If my nephew spewed the garbage that this kid did, he’d be dead to me. Thankfully he wouldn’t as he’s not insane. If you’re Black, gay and a Trump supporter, there’s something wrong with you in the head.
Gourmet Guy
Short-sightedness and bigotry are nothing new, and neither are many of the reactions to their expression. But intolerance should never be tolerated, because that’s the beginning of the end.
tjack47
That was an article?
MISTERJETT
that was a comment?
Patrick
Globe Trotter – good for you – I would have done the same! And not condoning hateful intolerance does not make you intolerant!
Thad
Back in 1994, Miss Patti LaBelle performed at the closing ceremonies for the Gay Games at Yankee Stadium in New York. Although I did not see her, since my seats at the sold-out stadium were behind a barrier (!), she promised to be there for us.
Here’s proof of that. She’s there for family and LGBT folks.
Love.
Kanaka4127
Honey I was there in the tenth row. Ms Patti kicked her red pumps up to the bleachers.
ffmikey
You can hate Republicans and you can hate Trump but the actions of the Democratic Party are proof enough for myself to oppose them as a gay man. FDR not only sent a ship load of Jews back to Germany to die but sent loyal Japanese-Americans a Japanese immigrants to Concentration Camps, seized most of their possessions and bank accounts. Now one might say we were at war with Japan. Yes, but we were at war with Germany and Italy as well and those of German and Italian decent were not sent to Concentration Camps.
I am a Viet Nam era veteran. From Basic Training to where I was permanently stationed there were openly gay men serving with me. In fact one of our training officers in Basic training was openly have a sexual relationship with one of the trainees. Where I was ultimately stationed there were gay couples, one which were allowed to go on leave together several times leaving no clerk to replace them. All of a sudden we have “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Push for and signed into law by Bill Clinton. Discharges for being gay sky rocketed. The numbers went down under George Bush and again climbed under Obama. Now it wasn’t Obama and the Democrats which put an end to D.A.D.T. but the Log Cabin Gay Republican organization who filed suit and had D.A.D.T. declared unconstitutional. For those who have served in the military the Command would have set down the Regulations immediately, don’t screw in the barracks, don’t f**k with the gays. But instead Obama and the Democrats passed a repeal of D.A.D.T. delaying it’s implementation for one year. So when you say the Democrats are the peoples party, ask many Jews who lost love ones due to FDR’s actions. And ask Japanese-Americans how the great democrat treated them. And lastly ask the thousands if not millions of men and women who received less than Honorable Discharges because of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell some which only after they returned from serving in a combat zone. Are there anti gay and lesbian Republicans, yes? Are there anti gay and lesbian Democrats, differently, the facts speak for themselves.