Former Rep. Aaron Schock of Illinois is being criticized online for posing with friends at a resort in Mexico during the coronavirus pandemic.
Going on vacation with friends isn’t what a lot of people picture when they think of social distancing.
The photo was shared on Twitter by Sam Stryker, who said the group “seem to have a very different definition of ‘social distancing’ than the rest of us.”
Former Rep. Aaron Schock of Illinois was tagged by Mauricio Kirschner on Monday in an Instagram photo showing the two in a group of friends on a beach in Mexico.
The influencer Sam Stryker shared the photo on Twitter, saying the group “seem to have a very different definition of ‘social distancing’ than the rest of us” while vacationing at a resort in Cabo San Lucas.
“I don’t know who needs to hear this but f—ing a disgraced former GOP congressman is not ‘essential business,'” he added.
This group of Instagays “quarantining” at a resort in Mexico – WITH Aaron Schock – seem to have a very different definition of “social distancing” than the rest of us! pic.twitter.com/BeMUrBglIi
— Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) April 14, 2020
It’s unclear how long the whole group has been “quarantining” together at the resort, but two members, Alec Rugo and P Druck, appear to have been there for three to four weeks.
“This is an old pic, right?” one person commented on Kirschner’s Instagram post, adding, “You can’t be that irresponsible,” which Kirschner replied to with a flame emoji.
“They’re with disgraced congressman and former threat to gay equal rights @aaronschock,” another responded. “How impressive would you expect their judgment-making abilities to be?”
Kirschner also seemed to defend the decision further, saying the group had not had any outside contact with others.
Schock came out as gay in March in a lengthy letter shared to his Instagram page and website. The LGBTQ community was not particularly encouraging, however, given Schock’s history of support for discriminatory policies such as voting against hate-crime protections and against scrapping the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy.
“Y’all this man lived in the closet while voting against LGBTQ interests for years,” Jonathan Van Ness said in his Instagram stories at the time.
“He screams about how he was victimized as he continues not giving back to the community he [actively] legislated against. Also his apology wholly dodged any responsibility in the awful actions he perpetuated against our community.”
Schock, a Republican, resigned as a representative for Illinois’ 18th Congressional District in 2015 after misspending government funds. For example, he redecorated his Capitol Hill office to look like the drawing-room in “Downton Abbey,” with crimson walls and a decadent crystal chandelier.
Source: Business Insider
