The comedian implied the Los Angeles Fire Department was recruiting from their “dating pool”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
American stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings has come under fire after making comments about the LAFD’s lesbian Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley.
After declaring that she would use a wooden sword to fight arsonists during the current devastating wildfires occurring in LA, Cummings took to X to speak about her views on the Los Angeles Fire Department. Specifically, Cummings focused on Crowley, the LAFD’s first LGBTQIA Fire Chief.
She said: “They’re talking about recruiting more lesbians into the LAFD to be firefighters. I think lesbians can be firefighters. I’m not thinking about your genitals and preferences when I need a hero.”
“But like why is that okay?” the comedian continued. “It would be like a gay man being like ‘We need more gay men in here’. That would be like me going ‘We need more hot guys to be firefighters’. It would be like a guy saying ‘We need more hot blondes and I will not stop until there are more people that I am attracted to or that are in my dating pool’. Isn’t that essentially just recruiting people in your dating pool to work in your office?”
In response to the video, some users on X called out Cummings for her implications. “This framing assumes THREE STRAIGHT WHITE MEN would automatically be better at the job due to their race and sexuality. If they’re qualified for the position who tf cares??” one user wrote.
Cummings is not the first person during this tragedy to comment on the sexuality of the firefighters on the ground in LA. Conservative media personality Megyn Kelly made controversial comments on her podcast yesterday (14 January) where she called Crowley “an obese lesbian”. She went on to say: “The last thing I want to see, if I’m in a burning building is A. a woman and B. an obese woman. Who takes comfort? I’m going to die but it’s in the presence of an obese lesbian.”
Kristen Crowley is a 22-year veteran of the LAFD and has held positions as a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, fire marshal and deputy chief.
Throughout the LA area, wildfires have created devastating ruin for thousands of residents. 90,000 people still have evacuation orders. Four fires still continue to burn, including the destructive Palisades Fire. At the moment, 24 people have tragically lost their lives to the wildfires and 10,000 homes have been destroyed.
There are a number of organisations trying to support those displaced and those trying to stop the fires. There are a number of GoFundMe pages taking donations that will go to first responders and families, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is taking donations via their website, as are the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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