Apparently, Bette Midler is homophobic. You’ve probably read her tweet: “Trump and Putin are meeting in Finland next month. That’s a long way to travel for a blowjob, but hey – Putin’s got the money.” You’ve probably also seen the outrage it stirred online with many people accusing Bette of being homophobic.
You could say that the joke demeans both men by suggesting they’re going to have gay sex – but it’s only demeaning if you think being gay is demeaning. Bette Midler doesn’t think that. She’s a champion of the gays, and has always loved a bawdy bathhouse joke.