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Gay couple dressed as ICE officer and ‘racist’ Mexican stereotype for Halloween and people are furious

A gay couple have come under intense fire for their Halloween costume, where one is dressed as an ICE officer and the other in stereotypical Mexican tropes. (Twitter)

A gay couple have come under intense fire for their Halloween costume, where one is dressed as an ICE officer and the other in stereotypical Mexican tropes. (Twitter)

A gay couple dressed as an US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer and a stereotypical Mexican trope for Halloween and LGBT+ Twitter was majorly outraged.

The men, both based in Toronto, Canada, posted a photograph of their couple’s costume to the chagrin of social media users, who widely slammed the pair’s apparel as “disgusting” and “racist”.

Several Twitter users shared their outrage, prompting one of the men, who is Mexican, to clarify that neither he or his boyfriend are “racist” and that: “I’m proud of who I am.”

‘White gays are so whack’: Gay couple’s costume criticised.

Screenshots of the since deleted Instagram posts from the couple began circulating on Twitter last weekend, prompting discussions on the impact their costumes might be having on certain communities.

The Halloween costume saw one half of the couple, who is white, dressed in a cap emblazoned with “ICE” on it, as well as a t-shirt that read “ICE ARMY POLICE”. He accessorised with a police badge and aviators.

While the other donned a sombrero, a fake moustache and a Saltillo serape wrapped around his torso.

Both wore short shorts to complete their looks. Twitter, however, was not impressed as critiques of the couple’s costume went viral:

Overcrowded, squalid conditions are widespread in ICE-operated migrant detention centres dotted across the southern US border, the Department of Homeland Security’s independent watchdog revealed earlier this year.

Images of migrants wrapped in emergency foil blankets in cluttered cages, soiled clothes, given wet wipes to clean themselves and bologna sandwiches to eat made headlines.

Human rights activists sounded the alarms over these conditions, and while many migrants held in the camps have since been transferred, the ICE remain under intense scrutiny.

Just this month, the ICE deleted video footage of a trans alyssum seeker who died in custody from AIDS-related complications.

One half of couple defends costume: ‘Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticised anyway.’

Amid the torrent of criticism to their Halloween costumes, one of the men posted a lengthy response on their Instagram story.

According to a screenshot, it read: “Me and my boyfriend have been receiving so many hateful comments and messages from last [night’s] Halloween costumes.”

He detailed the abusive feedback he has received for the costume, including death threats, warnings of people coming into their homes to beat them up and homophobic slurs, “all this for the simple fact that MOST people are feeling offended?”

An alleged screenshot of one half of the couple's response to the criticism. (Twitter)

An alleged screenshot of one half of the couple’s response to the criticism. (Twitter)

“To be honest, I’m not impressed to live in a society where breathing is a crime and you can’t make fun of yourself?” he added.

“I’m not racist, I’m Mexican. Reason number one I wanted to do it.”

He continued: “Most of you know me and know who I [am] and I will stay true to myself and my beliefs, I will never change my way of thinking or feeling for trying to be part of a society where basically everything is a crime and everyone gets offended for the dumbest shit.

“If you dress up as a priest = you against religion, dressed up as Donald Trump = you a piece of shit, dressed up as [an] animal = you against vegans!?”

“No [matter what the f**k] you do or say you will be judged no matter what. Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticised anyway.

He concluded that he doesn’t regret “anything” and is “proud of who” he is. “The rest, good job at being a sheep.”

‘Having a white boyfriend won’t make you any less brown.’

Nevertheless, detractors described their disbelief at the couple’s costume.

James Michael, based in Texas, US, wrote: “This is what I mean when I say white supremacy isn’t just a Caucasian thing. It’s a mindset that has brainwashed generations.

“The desire for toxic Caucasian acceptance, toxic Caucasian affection, toxic Caucasian fetishisation has people forgetting where the f**k they come from.”

Moreover, Michael was unswayed by Navarro’s apology: “His ‘apology’ is basically ‘I don’t see the problem. Y’all are too sensitive.’

“He’s either comically daft in his ignorance or monstrously deft in his indifference to the very real horrors and traumas that people are experiencing on a daily basis.

“Having a white boyfriend won’t make you any less brown anymore than having a brown boyfriend makes you any less problematic.

“True allies understand their privilege and work to use it for good, true allies understand their blind spots or their micro-aggressions and work to overcome them and learn.

“This is soaked in privilege – and none it is self aware. Or maybe none it even bothers to care.”

Although, some users flagged that while discussing for the outfits are called for, to them, it “doesn’t mean all white gays are these raging bigots”.

 

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