Billy Porter is receiving backlash for greeting US President Joe Biden with a kiss on the hand at the White House Juneteenth celebration and concert on Monday. The holiday celebration, hosted by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, included singers Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and rapper Doug E. Fresh.
Porter, a Tony, Grammy and Emmy nominee, sat in the front row, next to Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff. O Pose star reached out to Harris and Emhoff to kiss Biden’s hand.
The moment caught the attention of social media, mainly because he will have to co-write, co-produce and lead a performance in a next biopic about the famous writer James Baldwin.
With books like Notes from a native son, and many open letters and essays addressing American politics and ideals, Baldwin was deeply connected to the civil rights movement, arguing that for white Americans to celebrate freedom, they must also reckon with their history of slavery and racism.
On a 1963 letter To his nephew, Baldwin wrote about the United States: “the country is celebrating one hundred years of freedom one hundred years too early.”
Baldwin was also notably critical of Israel and found much solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people.
For much of the concert, Porter danced alongside the president and vice president, swaying to the variety of musical acts performed on the White House’s South Lawn.
In 2021, President Biden named Juneteenth as an official holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of the enslaved people of America and, in particular, when the enslaved in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation.
One tweet of the incident with Porter said: “James Baldwin defied white supremacy at every turn. Billy Porter kneels and kisses him with every step. They’re not the same!”
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This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
