White House neglects one name in photo of NATO spouses

Gauthier Destenay, the husband of Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, was omitted on Saturday from the caption of an official White House photo of NATO spouses.

The White House corrected the caption amid backlash and accusations of homophobia on Facebook. Facebook’s edit history makes it possible to see when and how a post was changed.

The photo pictures the spouses of 10 NATO leaders in Brussels and was part of a larger collection of photos from President Trump’s first trip abroad as president.

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Destenay and Bettel married in 2015, making Destenay the first same-sex spouse of a head of a European Union state.

Actor Kal Penn, who served as former President Obama’s associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, responded to Destenay’s initial omission on Twitter, pointing out that such photos and captions are “carefully planned” and are approved by senior White House staff. 

Responding to a question about whether the omission could have been unintentional or “non-homophobic,” Penn flatly stated, “Nope.”

“Nope. These things are carefully planned & worded with purpose (& with White House senior staff sign off). Nice job @IvankaTrump!” Penn wrote on Twitter.

Nope. These things are carefully planned & worded with purpose (& with White House senior staff sign off). Nice job @IvankaTrump! https://t.co/UtERfly8VE

— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) May 28, 2017