Even Heroes Have Flaws: Being Good Doesn’t Mean Being Perfect

I’ve hesitated to post this. I’ve seen the photo circulate many times—the iconic image of Fred Rogers and François Clemmons, their feet side by side in a small plastic pool. It’s beautiful. It’s powerful. And I’ve been afraid that sharing this thought might somehow take away from that beauty.

But something else keeps surfacing too. A phrase I hear often: “But I’m a good person.” It usually comes up when someone’s been called out (or in) for saying or doing something harmful—maybe unintentionally, maybe not. There’s this fear that having blind spots in any way automatically cancels out your goodness. That admitting a mistake means you’re bad.

But that’s not the case. Good people do bad things all the time. Good people make mistakes, miss the mark, and fall short.

Fred Rogers—Mr. Rogers himself—was a hero of mine. A trailblazer. One of the kindest humans to ever grace this earth. He made space for racial equality on national television at a time when that was radical. And yet, he wasn’t perfect.

François Clemmons, the man in the pool with him, wasn’t just Black—he was a queer Black man. When Fred found out, he asked François to stop going to gay bars and to keep his sexuality a secret. Fred stood for racial justice, yes. But he wasn’t there yet on 2SLGBTQIA+ equality.

Maybe he thought he was protecting his friend. Maybe he believed he was doing the right thing. But we know now that impact outweighs intention. Being progressive means doing the right thing before it’s popular—before it's safe or easy or widely accepted. Fred missed that chance. He could have been a better ally.

That’s the point. You can be good and still be growing. You can be kind and still have blind spots. Even heroes have flaws.

So if you’re not “there” yet—wherever there is for you—you’re not a bad person. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Listen. Learn. And change.

I believe that if Mr. Rogers were alive today, he’d be proud to call François a friend—fully. And maybe he’d even be right there beside him at Pride, marching with love and open arms.