Barack Obama says gay college professor taught him ’empathy and kindness’ when he was ‘ignorant’
Barack Obama has shared that one of his role models growing up was his gay college professor (Getty)
Barack Obama has shared that one of his role models growing up was his gay college professor (Getty)
Former President Barack Obama has shared that one of his ‘role models’ growing up was an out gay college professor who showed him ’empathy and kindness’ when he made mistakes.
Barack Obama, who was in office as the President of the United States when gay marriage was legalised across the United States in 2015, appeared opposite wife Michelle Obama and his brother-in-law Craig Robinson on the most recent episode of the pair’s IMO podcast.
In the episode, titled “Focus On What’s Right About Young Men With Barack Obama”, the former POTUS discussed the rise of toxic masculinity among young men today, and the kind of role models they need.
Reflecting on his own experiences, Obama shared that young men need a “diverse” network of role models – and that one of his own was his out gay college professor.
“I had a gay professor in college at a time when openly gay folks still weren’t out a lot, who became one of my favourite professors and was a great guy and would call me out when I started saying stuff that was ignorant,” Obama shared.
“You need that — to show empathy and kindness.”
Obama previously named the gay professor as Dr. Lawrence Goldyn during a 2015 interview with Out Magazine.
At the time, he said that Goldyn “went out of his way to advise lesbian, gay, and transgender students at Occidental,” during Obama’s studies there.
“And keep in mind, this was 1978. That took a lot of courage, a lot of confidence in who you are and what you stand for.”
Though Obama attended Columbia University from 1981 to 1983, and later Harvard Law School from 1988-1991, he first went to Occidental College from 1979 to 1981.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Obama, 63, said: “I do think as a society, we have to create more structures for boys and men to … be able to meet a wide range of role models so that whatever their inclinations, they can see a path to success that isn’t just sports or money, making a lot of money.”
He added: “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 is, he can’t be everything.
“And then that boy may need somebody to give the boy some perspective on the dad.”
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