President Barack Obama has been gaining widespread attention over the last few months over his heavy push for new laws to grant equal rights and protection to the LGBT community. And in that time he’s gained a growing number of supporters, including one cashier in Austin, Texas, who made the president chuckle with a surprise gay joke.
According to BuzzFeed, 32-year-old cashier Daniel Rugg Webb was working a regular shift at Franklin Barbecue when, after hours of hearing rumors that President Obama would come to the restaurant, Obama finally materialized in front of him.
Webb says that eight Secret Service agents and several other members of Obama’s crew walked in first, before everyone in the establishment was patted down during a search.
“[They] frisked everybody, which was kind of my favorite part,” Webb recalled in an interview with BuzzFeed. “Then he just showed up.”
Obama proceeded to cut in line and then racked up a bill of more than $300 for his entourage and for the people he cut in line. As Obama was signing the bill, Webb, who is a comedian, took the opportunity to drop a gem of a joke on Obama.
Webb slammed his hand down on the table and exclaimed “equal rights for gay people!”
Obama reacted without missing a beat. “Are you gay?”
Taken aback by the directness of the question, he said, Webb responded, “Only when I’m having sex!”
The president laughed, then, realizing there was a group of children near the two, said, “Not in front of the kids!”
The two men bumped fists and that was that.
“As a comedian, it was cool to have a moment where I was making a sitting president laugh — over something that might be considered inappropriate is a bonus,” Webb said of the experience.
Although Webb is supportive of Obama’s new efforts for LGBT equality, he says he’d be even more pleased with the president if Obama began calling out homophobic lawmakers and politicians.
“It would be interesting if he could call some people out for it. People can use a lot of things — religion, freedom of speech — to be anti-gay, but I need people to understand you can call people out for civil rights things,” Webb said.
“We are an anti-gay state. We are a state with a whole bunch of hungry children and sick old people, and [Texas Governor Rick Perry is] grandstanding on things that will get him a better election,” Webb said. “And it’s glaringly obvious. He’s kind of primitive in his social beliefs. I would like to see Rick Perry negatively influenced by any kind of attention. Even Obama laughing at something as, hopefully, acceptable as sexuality can show the difference.”
Well, we must say that was quite the endearing and humanizing moment for Obama and we’re glad he can be serious at work and silly enough to enjoy a dirty joke off the clock. – nicholas robinson
