In Juy, as President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Helsinki for their controversial summit, the New York Times Opinion section’s Twitter page circulated an animated video titled “Trump and Putin: A Love Story.” The newspaper describedthe video: “Donald Trump’s not-so-secret admiration for Vladimir Putin plays out in a teenager’s bedroom, where the fantasies of this forbidden romance come to life.” The shirtless men kiss passionately, ride unicorns through fields of rainbows and daydream about one another over pink and purple landscapes.

The video is deeply homophobic, using the possibility of gay sexuality to belittle both men. What’s more, it’s the product of a journalistic trend that uses gay romance as a metaphor for political weakness and inefficiency