Ruby Rose has defended herself against critics who blasted her philanthropic efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Houston and much of southeast Texas over the weekend.
On Tuesday, the “Orange Is the New Black” star announced plans to donate $10,000 to the LGBTQ Disaster Relief Fund, which is being managed by the Montrose Center, a Houston-based queer advocacy group.
Rose’s pledge followed that of Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff, who’d vowed to match all LGBTQ Disaster Relief Fund donations up to $10,000 earlier that day.
Though many fans praised Rose, 31, for her efforts, others blasted the star on social media for her decision to donate to a queer-specific organization during a natural disaster.
“So you are only willing to help out gay people suffering from the floods in Houston?!?! You are a disgusting human being,” one person wrote, as seen in a screenshot that Rose posted to her Instagram feed late Tuesday. Added another, “This is so wrong. All lives matter. Not just LGBT.”
Rose offered a lengthy response to the criticism Tuesday on both Instagram and Twitter, explaining that the Montrose Center’s efforts “do not discriminate people in need based on gender, sexuality, race or religion.”
After a zing at Pastor Joel Osteen, who faced a backlash after his 16,800-seat Lakewood Church initially stayed closed to Harvey victims, Rose noted that she’d made a donation to a Texas animal organization, too, but had chosen not to speak about it publicly.
The LGBTQ Disaster Relief Fund, she added, was “a unique situation” since the “benefit in creating awareness to the center outweighed” the criticism she’d received.
“It’s far more rewarding to donate anonymously by a long mile,” she added.
In a second post tweet, she suggested her critics would be better served by donating to organizations of their choice instead of blasting hers.
Hurricane Harvey is expected to be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, with its impact currently estimated at $160 billion.
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