Theatre producer who married husband in front of Donald Trump says his supporters ‘don’t know what it’s like to be gay’
Jordan Roth and Richie Jackson (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Producer Richie Jackson, who married his husband Jordan Roth in front of Donald Trump in 2012, has said that those who support the US president “don’t know what it takes to be gay”.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Jackson and Roth opened up about what it was like having Trump and his wife Melania at their wedding in 2012.
Jackson said that Donald and Melania attended their wedding with Ivanka and Jared Kushner because Roth’s father – the billionaire Steven Roth – is a close financial advisor to the president.
Producer Richie Jackson is glad Donald Trump saw him marry his husband.
Looking back, Jackson said he was glad Trump saw their wedding.
“We warned our family about his intentions when he was running,” Jackson said.
The most generous I can be about this is that they don’t understand what it takes to be gay and don’t appreciate how important being gay is to us.
“It has been very painful. It is a complete betrayal that some people in our family continue to support him. It is a complete disconnect.
“The most generous I can be about this is that they don’t understand what it takes to be gay and don’t appreciate how important being gay is to us. It is every fibre of our beings.
“Sometimes I think people think being gay is like putting on a fancy shirt before they go out. They just don’t appreciate the daily exhausting vigilance it takes to be gay.”
He tries to focus on the people Trump is harming rather than the man himself.
He also revealed that he tries to “not think about” Trump and focuses instead on the people he has harmed in his presidency.
The Nurse Jackie producer said that it doesn’t matter if Trump is actually homophobic or if he is putting on a show of homophobia for political gain.
“What’s the difference? The result is the same. I would have more respect for him if he was like [vice president] Mike Pence and just straight out homophobic.”
Jackson said that he has had “debates” with his Trump supporting billionaire father-in-law.
“He’s my husband’s father. He’s my children’s grandfather, and I will just not write him off.”
