Ruby Rose Responds To Outrage After Donating To LGBTQ Center's Hurricane Fund

Curtis M. Wong
“It’s far more rewarding to donate anonymously by a long mile,” Ruby Rose said.  
“It’s far more rewarding to donate anonymously by a long mile,” Ruby Rose said.  

Ruby Rose has defended herself against critics who blasted her philanthropic efforts in the wake ofHurricane Harvey, which devastated Houston and much of southeast Texas over the weekend.

On Tuesday, the “Orange Is the New Black” star announced plans to donate $10,000 to theLGBTQ Disaster Relief Fund, which is being managed bythe Montrose Center, a Houston-based queer advocacy group.

Rose’s pledge followed that of Bleachers frontmanJack Antonoff, who’d vowed to match allLGBTQ Disaster Relief Funddonations up to $10,000 earlier that day.

Though many fans praised Rose, 31, for her efforts, others blasted the star on social media for her decision to donate to a queer-specific organization during a natural disaster.

“So you are only willing to help out gay people suffering from the floods in Houston?!?! You are a disgusting human being,” one person wrote, as seen in a screenshot that Rose posted to her Instagram feed late Tuesday. Added another, “This is so wrong. All lives matter. Not just LGBT.”

Rose offered a lengthy response to the criticism Tuesday on bothInstagramandTwitter, explaining that the Montrose Center’s efforts “do not discriminate people in need based on gender, sexuality, race or religion.”

After a zing at PastorJoel Osteen,who faced a backlashafter his 16,800-seat Lakewood Church initially stayed closedto Harvey victims, Rose noted that she’d made a donation to a Texas animal organization, too, but had chosen not to speak about it publicly.

The LGBTQ Disaster Relief Fund, she added, was “a unique situation” since the “benefit in creating awareness to the center outweighed” the criticism she’d received.

“It’s far more rewarding to donate anonymously by a long mile,” she added.

In a second post tweet, she suggested her critics would be better served bydonating to organizations of their choiceinstead of blasting hers.

Hurricane Harveyis expected to be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, with its impactcurrently estimatedat $160 billion.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.