Texans are criticizing Beyonce for wearing latex gloves while feeding Hurricane Harvey survivors last week.
The 38-year-old singer and her eldest daughter Blue Ivy, 5, with husband Jay-Z, 47, served meals to mostly black evacuees in her hometown of Houston, Texas.
Some social media users say latex gloves are not required to hand styrofoam containers of food to people. They say there was no need for Beyonce to wear latex gloves other than to protect herself from her own people.
In defense of Beyonce, health officials say the flooding in Houston led to an influx of mosquitoes that carry diseases, including Zika and the West Nile Virus.
Beyonce has 2 infants at home that may be susceptible to infections and disease, especially since she doesn’t take them outside so they can build up immunity from common germs.
Two weeks after the storm, the County Health Department expects the mosquito population to rise considerably due to standing water in backyards and wooded areas.
SEE ALSO: Miss S. Africa Criticized for Wearing Latex Gloves to Meet Black Children
The controversy surrounding Beyonce drew comparisons to the furor sparked by Miss South Africa for wearing latex gloves to meet young S. African HIV orphans in July.
Critics called Miss South Africa “racist” and “insensitive” for wearing latex gloves while sitting with the orphans.
