Randy McNally.Photo: Tennessee General Assembly
“Great picture, Finn!” McNally commented on a photo that shows McClur almost entirely nude. “Best wishes for continued health and happiness.”
Beneath another photo, that showed a close-up of McClur’s butt, the lieutenant governor wrote: “Finn, you can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine!”
“Trying to imply something sinister or inappropriate about a great-grandfather’s use of social media says more about the mind of the left-wing operative making the implication than it does about Randy McNally,” the lieutenant governor’s spokesperson Adam Kleinheider said in the statement, perThe Tennessean.
Kleinheider added in the statement that the lieutenant governor “takes great pains to view every post he can and frequently posts encouraging things to many of his followers. Does he always use the proper emoji at the proper time? Maybe not. But he enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds and orientations on social media. He has no intention of stopping.”
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In a separate interview withThe Tennessean, McClur said the two had also exchanged messages “a little privately but I am going to keep those private.”
But when told about a series of new bills in Tennessee that target the LGBTQ+ community — including an anti-trans youth health care bill, and one that places restrictions on drag performances, McClur responded: “It’s wrong to ban drag, wrong to ban anything that isn’t hurting anyone. I don’t support hate of any kind.”
McNally, who is married with two adult children, has been less publicly supportive of the anti-LGBTQ+ measures than some of his Republican colleagues.
In remarks to reporters made Thursday, he noted that he previously spoke out against a bill that would allow adoption agencies to disqualify families due to their sexual orientation.The bill later passed.
“I try to encourage people on my posts. I try to support people,” McNally told reporters,TheTennesseanreported. “I have friends that are gay, I have friends with relatives who are gay. I don’t feel any animosity towards gay people. I think that’s fairly clear.”
While LGBTQ+ advocates have said the photo demonstrates Lee’s hypocrisy, his office has instead said it was simply evidence of “lighthearted school traditions.”
Lee signed the drag bill on the same day he signed a bill banninggender-affirming health carefor transgender youths in the state.
And on Monday, the Tennessee House passed another bill targeting drag, this one requiring drag performers toobtain a permit before performing.
According to LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Human Rights Commission, the state has enacted 14 anti-LGBTQ+ laws since 2015. Among those are two bathroom bans and three laws preventing transgender students from playing sports consistent with their gender identity.
source: people.com
