Barack Obama: And that’s one of the things I think young guys often need—not just the influence of one man. A dad, no matter how good he is, can’t be everything.
That kid might need someone who gives him a little perspective on his dad, right?
One of the most valuable things I learned as a man was that I had a gay professor in college, at a time when being openly gay wasn’t as common. He became one of my favorite teachers—he was a great guy—and he would call me out when I said ignorant things.
You need that to develop empathy and kindness. And by the way, you need that kind of person in your circle of friends, so that if you ever have a child who’s gay, or nonbinary, or whatever, they have someone who helps them feel like they’re not alone in this.
Barack Obama appeared on his wife Michelle’s failing podcast this week to give some advice to young men.
Obama encouraged young men to enjoy theater, let women pick up the bill at dinner, and said they need gay men for guidance.
“And that’s one of the things that I think a lot of times boys need, is, not just exposure to one guy, one dad, no matter how good the dad. He can’t be everything. And that boy may need somebody to give the boy some perspective on the dad right?” Obama said on the “IMO” podcast this week.
“You need that, to show empathy and kindness. And by the way, you need that person in your friend group, so that if you then have a boy who is gay or non-binary or whatever, they have somebody that they can go, ‘Okay, I’m not alone in this,’ right? So that, I think, is creating that community. I know it’s corny, but that’s what they need,” Obama said.
Barack Obama recalled one of his favorite professors, a gay man who helped shape his life.
