Lady Gaga, the Dalai Lama, and American entrepreneur Philip Anschutz spoke on a panel at the US Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis on Sunday, discussing the importance of kindness. The event had been decried by the Chinese government as a publicity stunt to push a pro-Tibetan independence agenda, with Gaga’s many fans in China wondering whether she will still be allowed to perform in the country (wfsb.com). Most of the headlines have focused on the two celebrities on the panel, but this seems to be by design; Anschutz is worth more than $10 billion but has only given three formal interviews since 1979.

While the Dalai Lama called human nature “kind and compassionate” and Lady Gaga preached about the need for unity across divisions of race, class, and sexuality, their words rang hollow in the presence of an oil tycoon who actively opposed the Kyoto Protocol and funded homophobic and anti-union legislation (ucc.org). I wonder how Gaga, openly bisexual, who called speaking at the 2009 National Equality March in D.C. “the single most important” event of her career, feels knowing she shared the stage with a man who supported legislation that legalized discrimination based on homophobia? (lgbthistorymonth.com) I wonder how the Dalai Lama, who said “a clean environment is a human right,” feels knowing he shared the stage with a billionaire who made his money from oil and uses his media company, Walden Media, to deny the reality of climate change. (dalailama.com)

The hypocrisy of public figures should come as no surprise; they’re only human after all. People make mistakes. But when public figures entwine their images so heavily with their morality and their actions, any discrepancy causes doubt. Both Lady Gaga and the Dalai Lama have been noted for their charitable work around the world. But perhaps even more worrying is that Anschutz, too, is noted for his philanthropic work, even winning the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership with his wife in 2009 (Philanthropy Roundtable, fall 2009).

The majority of Anschutz’s donations have gone to such groups as the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a think-tank that opposes labor unions, and the Mission America Foundation, a far-right organization led by a president who considers homosexuality immoral (ucc.com).

Is this the bar for philanthropy? Is this hypocrisy all we can reasonably expect from those who would be praised for their activism? Shouldn’t we hold each other, and ourselves, to a higher standard than this?

If the Dalai Lama and Lady Gaga want to teach the world kindness, perhaps they should take better care of the company they keep. In a time when the pope himself is saying the church should apologize to the LGBTQIA+ community, backing homophobic legislation seems rather pathetic and sad (USA Today). If Anschutz has turned over a new leaf (though I doubt it), then he must apologize for his prior actions and make amends before he gets atop his soapbox. The world needs more kindness, but it also needs less hate.