The New York Times is under fire for 'homophobic' cartoon of Trump and Putin
The New York Times is being accused of “gay bashing” after running an animated video depicting President Trump and Vladimir Putin as lovers.
This week the newspaper ran a minute-long video called “Trump and Putin: A Love Story,” featuring cartoon versions of the two leaders. The video opens with audio from a 2013 interview during which Trump was asked if he had a relationship with the Russian president. “I do have a relationship with him,” said POTUS. “He’s done an amazing job — he’s put himself really at the forefront of the world as a leader in a short period of time.”
In the cartoon, Trump’s and Putin’s characters go on a date, rub hands, ride a unicorn through a sea of hearts, butterflies, and rainbows (while shirtless), and kiss.
“Russia is like, they’re really hot stuff!” Trump says, in audio from a 2014 interview, as the two characters lock tongues. The video ends with Trump firing a gun into a television, presumably to silence what he calls the “fake news.”
“As the accompanying text makes clear, Bill Plympton is an iconoclastic animator known for his outrageous sense of humor and for his irreverent, unsettling and at times disturbing cartoons,” a representative from the New York Times, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “The video is certainly not meant to be homophobic. Scenes that show exaggerated kissing is a signature feature of Bill’s animation. You can see this style in many of his other shorts, such as “How to Kiss” and “Guard Dog.”
GLAAD, which focuses on fair representation of LGBTQ people in the media, did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle. But many people on Twitter blasted the publication for running what they felt was stereotypical and unnecessary content, particularly during Pride Month.
I'm flaming gay & fuming mad as hell over this NYT Trash! It's vulgar, homophobic & neg stereotyping that makes the so-called "Left" look like Repub-light and shows their arrogance and hypocrisy on full display! Trump and Putin: A Love Story https://t.co/CkBHjPFtZM via @nytvideo
— StephenWilhelm (@swt1a1) June 26, 2018
The NYT publishes an animated film mocking Trump and Putin for being homosexual lovers, using one disgusting gay stereotype after the next to do it. I'm sure they'll claim some LGBT person was involved. Homophobia for progressive messaging is still bigotry https://t.co/rbOwIyLHn7
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 26, 2018
Classy, NYT. Real classy. 😵
https://t.co/fG0PsxzNcT— Sher Bell (@Sheshelynnie) June 26, 2018
Produced & published by the #NewYorkTimes, "#Trump & #Putin: A Love Story," is a #homophobic garbage #animation about the #POTUS & the #Russian leader as #Gay lovers; it contains every #gaybashing stereotype in the book—shame on #NYT, #JournalismIsDead https://t.co/86jSVEoh2I
— Mark Vallen (@mark_vallen) June 26, 2018
This is how the “Left” and @nytimes celebrate #PrideMonth? With every derogatory stereotype available? #homophobia
— Peter Korman (@pjkorman) June 26, 2018
Saturday Night Live has also mocked the reportedly friendly relationship between Trump and Putin, with Alec Baldwin playing Trump and a shirtless Beck Bennett as Putin.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
First lady Karen Pence is getting dragged for wearing an ‘inappropriate’ dress
George Lopez is selling Melania Trump-inspired jackets: ‘Keep the kids, deport the racists’
Melania Trump and Queen Rania of Jordon twinned in pink for an afternoon tea party
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