Ellen DeGeneres has praised Leo Varadkar for taking his boyfriend Matt Barrett to meet US Vice President Mike Pence – who was once dubbed “the face of anti-LGBTQ hate in America”.
The Taoiseach is in Washington this week to mark St. Patrick’s Day, and during his visit – he brought his partner for breakfast at Mike Pence’s house.
Throughout his political career, Pence has been criticised for being notoriously “anti-LGBT”.
And during their meeting this week – Ireland’s first openly gay Taoiseach poignantly noted that politicians are judged by their actions, not their sexual orientation, skin tone, gender, or religious beliefs in an inspiring speech.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his partner, Matt Barrett, arriving for breakfast here at the US Vice President Mike Pence’s residence in Washington. Quite a significant moment… pic.twitter.com/WRZaUwkAuH
— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) March 14, 2019
Vice President Mike Pence invited me and Matt to his home at the Naval Observatory this morning. It’s great to be back here for a really warm reception. pic.twitter.com/Wkh2Ic8lWP
— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) March 14, 2019
Thanks to the Vice President and his sister for a lovely morning at his home. What a great way to start this St Patrick’s weekend pic.twitter.com/2tzLEOTTpt
— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) March 14, 2019
After their meeting hit headlines all over the world, Ellen tweeted a link to a Buzzfeed article, which read, “Ireland’s Openly Gay Prime Minister Brought His Boyfriend To Meet Mike Pence.”
Ellen, who has been married to her wife Portia de Rossi since 2008, wrote, “Mike Pence met with Ireland’s openly gay PM and his boyfriend. This makes me very happy.”
Does this mean Leo might make an appearance on The Ellen Show soon? We’ll have to wait and see…
Mike Pence met with Ireland’s openly gay PM and his boyfriend. This makes me very happy. https://t.co/yQU48MkcO5
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 15, 2019
