Stay Classy Philadelphia

From left to right gay rights activist Matty Hart, Philly publisher Mark Segal and philly shutterbug Zoe Strauss pose for photos after being invited to the White House for a LGT pride celebration.

After the photos on the internet were published the White House reacted.

"While the White House does not control the conduct of guests at receptions, we certainly expect that all attendees conduct themselves in a respectful manner. Most all do," Shin Inouye, a White House spokesman, said. "These individuals clearly did not. Behavior like this doesn’t belong anywhere, least of all in the White House." 

Said Matty "The Honey Badger" Hart don't care:

“Yeah, f– Reagan, Ronald Reagan has blood on his hands. The man was in the White House as AIDS exploded, and he was happy to see plenty of gay men and queer people die. He was a murderous fool, and I have no problem saying so. Don’t invite me back. I don’t care."

According to Fox News, Segal is giving the portrait of George W. Bush a "thumbs up."

A third guest, Philadelphia publisher Mark Segal, was also photographed next to George W. Bush's portrait, but used a more tasteful thumbs-up in his picture. He told Philadelphia Magazine he has friends in the White House and "I'm not going to do something that could embarrass them."

Segal's expression looks to me more not like he is giving a "thumbs up" to Bush but simply gesturing  with his thumb with an expression of "Can you believe this guy was president?" He's entitled to his opinion, whatever it is, but it seems to me Fox gave him more credit for being "tasteful" than he probably deserves.

Some gay activists and others are criticizing their peers for acting so disrespectfully, understanding that it reflects negatively on their cause and maybe even the president's reelection chances.

"With friends like these," wrote law professor Jonathan Turley. He may be right. And I don't think this sort of stuff helps the cause either...