The rollout of the vaccine against the virus has brought with it hope that the end of the pandemic is in the offing.
But it's inspired no shortage of anger too, as the very Republican politicians who have been at the forefront of denying the existence of the virus itself, let alone refusing to do anything about it, have been among the first people to receive the life-saving shot in the arm.
Count Randy Rainbow among those feeling the anger. The internet comedian had some choice words for Vice President Mike Pence, the after he made a public spectacle of him receiving his vaccination.
In a tweet, Rainbow said:
"Vice president Pence is truly courageous. Most gay men with those arms would never go sleeveless on national television."
Rainbow has since deleted the tweet, after it offended many gay people who felt that the common refrain that homophobic people are in the closet was a retrograde joke that places blame for homophobia on gay people.
Nevertheless, Rainbow, along with many LGBTQ creators, has frequently taken aim at Pence, one of the most virulently anti-LGBTQ politicians in America and a vocal supporter of conversion therapy. The psychologically damaging practice has been called "torture" by the UN and is illegal in most other developed countries in the world.
Pence is also the leader of the United States' pandemic response, which by all accounts has been an unmitigated disaster and has resulted in the U.S. being the most infected country on Earth. In June, he downplayed the possibility of a so-called "second wave," calling concerns about it "overblown."
That second wave has since crippled hospitals in all 50 states and led to a critical shortage of ICU beds. Many locations across the country have no ICU beds remaining at all.
Hence, Rainbow wasn't alone in his criticism of Pence, and many people loved the shade he threw at the Vice President.
And there was widespread anger about Pence being among the first to be vaccinated in general.
Randy Rainbow has made a career out of dragging members of the Trump Administration, and has frequently made Vice President Pence the subject of his online videos.
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