Authority does not reside in someone’s status. It resides in the status of what they say — that is, whether or not what they say corresponds to rational truth and facts, or not. If it does, then you don’t need the person to establish truth; you have the point, or the argument. If the argument lacks credibility in reason, then it really doesn’t matter what your feelings are about the individual saying it. Authority isn’t brute force; it’s reason.