Is weaponizing gay rumors against anti-LGBTQ+ politicians helpful strategy or harmful spectacle?
We love exposing closeted Republicans who vote against gay rights. But we're not sure about these questions...
Mark
We love exposing closeted Republicans who vote against gay rights as much as the next queen.
But when it comes to Josh Hawley, the rumors have always seemed bogus. Snopes says there’s no truth to them.
Still, that didn’t stop a self-titled “citizen journalist” from bludgeoning the Missouri Senator with questions. The reporter, Patrick Howley, asked him about multiple alleged incidents.
Hawley replied with a sheepish smirk.
Politics, but make it gay!
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“It’s all coming out, Senator,” he said.
Don Lemon shared the clip on his TikTok page.
“It’s all coming out, Senator”
video: Patrick Howley ♬ original sound – Don Lemon
Reading through the comments, many of Lemon’s followers have no issue with the line of questioning. “The call is ALWAYS coming from inside the house,” reads one popular reply.
Indeed, there’s a dark history of closeted Republicans who spent their lives harming gay people. Roy Cohn is the most Machiavellian: Tr*mp’s mentor was a driving force behind the Lavender Scare before dying of AIDS in the late 1980s (a prognosis he hid until the end).
But there are also many, many anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans who aren’t hiding a painful secret. Sometimes, a homophobe is just a homophobe.
Still, does that make them fair game?
Part of a trend
The citizen journalist in question, Patrick Howley, hasn’t only peppered Hawley with questions about gay rumors. He recently asked Darline Graham about longstanding rumors regarding her late brother, Lindsey.
“I’m not even gonna entertain that question,” she replied.
Earlier this month, Lauren Boebert, one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ members of Congress, faced a complaint alleging she’s had affairs with male and female staffers. The charge alleged that she paid one of them $200K for their silence.
When asked, Boebert denied the claims unequivocally. A Capitol Hill reporter called the allegation “extensively F’d up.”
Always popular, jokes and salacious insinuations about gay Republicans have become ubiquitous. Every time there’s a large GOP gathering, there are reports of a Grindr outage. At this month’s RNC, Grindr reportedly went dark in Dallas, a claim the company denies.
Speaking of the RNC, influencer Nick Pringles says he posed as a male escort in Dallas and has been teasing his findings for weeks. We’re still waiting…
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Influencer says he posed as a gay escort at RNC & takes us on a wild ride
Nick Pringle knew that posing as a male escort at the RNC would be a dangerous assignment…
Tacky and tackless, or deserved comeuppance?
Much like the rumors themselves, the question is complicated.
Revisiting Darline Graham, she lost her brother two months ago. Chasing her down a hallway, and asking her about her late brother’s alleged exploits with male escorts, seems icky to us.
Congressional reporter Eric Michael Garcia, who often asks elected officials unwanted questions in hallways, said he finds it tackless.
But if Lindsey were still alive, would he be fair game for an impromptu interrogation? That’s where we’re more mixed. He was a warmonger and a vociferous opponent of LGBTQ+ rights.
Running through Lindsey’s inglorious record he… supported a federal constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality, opposed the Respect for Marriage Act, the Equality Act, same-sex couples’ right to adopt and trans participation in school sports.
As for his dating record, he was a confirmed bachelor until his final day.
Hawley, meanwhile, is married and has three children.
Depends on who’s asking
Despite the fact that Grindr probably didn’t crash at the RNC (or Charlie Kirk’s funeral, or the 2024 RNC, or the 2016 RNC), it’s still funny to think about. At a half-empty American Airlines Center in Dallas, there was plenty of homoeroticism to go around.
In addition to the regular Tr*mp tongue bathing, a thirst trap of leftist streamer Hasan Piker was splashed on the jumbotron.
As gay people, we are at liberty to make jokes. That line becomes murkier once we get to allies–the aforementioned influencer is a vocal support of trans rights–and is clear once we arrive at homophobes playing “gotcha.”
As far as Patrick Howley, his motives seem duplicitous at best. He’s worked for numerous right-wing outlets, per The NY Times, and published the contents of Joe Biden’s daughter’s diary online.
Even though he’s now seemingly turned against MAGA–he also pounded Benny Johnson this week with gay questions–Howley is coming from a deceitful place.
FWIW, if we ever came across Josh Hawley in a hallway, we’d have better things to grill him on than unfounded gay rumors.
But it would be an amusing exchange. Decisions, decisions…
Related
Ken Paxton caught criticizing D*n*ld Tr*mp in leaked audio: “So to be honest with you…”
Passing the buck yet again!
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