Tag: family values

Posted on

Buttigieg To Limbaugh: My Marriage Has Never Involved “Hush Money” To Porn Stars

During last night’s CNN Town Hall event, Pete Buttigieg’s response to recent comments by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh about his sexual orientation earned him the biggest applause of the night. Last week, Limbaugh asked his listeners if they could imagine Donald Trump “having fun” with the idea of Buttigieg kissing his husband, Chasten, after a debate. He added that “America’s still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage.” Rushbo’s stance seemed to be that Democrats were uncomfortable with the idea of Pete and Chasten exchanging PDAs. Note – it’s very common for candidates to hug/kiss their spouses after a debate event. Why a hug between the Buttigiegs would be ‘too much’ isn’t quite clear. Limbaugh also wondered aloud how parents would “explain” Buttigieg kissing his husband to their children. This point became an instant meme with folks referencing Donald Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood statement: “How do you explain ‘Grab’em by the p*ssy’ to your children?” The next day, Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera asked Trump about Limbaugh’s comments. Trump said that he could see Americans voting for an openly gay candidate. “There would be a group that probably wouldn’t, but you or I wouldn’t be in that group.” On Sunday, during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Dana Bash asked Buttigieg to respond to Limbaugh’s remarks. “Well, I love my husband. I’m faithful to my husband. Onstage, we usually just go for a hug, but I love him very much,” Buttigieg said. “And I’m not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh.”

Fast forward to last night’s event on CNN, Erin Burnett asked Buttigieg about the comments from Limbaugh (who’s been married four times) and Trump (who’s been married three times): “Publicly, Trump says he would not have a problem supporting a gay candidate? Do you take him at his word?” “Not if he’s sending out his supporters to talk in this way,” answered Buttigieg. “The idea of the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Donald Trump lecturing anybody on family values?” “I’m sorry, but one thing about my marriage is it’s never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse.” #BOOM #HugeApplause “So if they want to debate family values, let’s debate family values, I’m ready,” added the former mayor.

Six of the Democratic candidates, including Buttigieg, will take to the debate stage tonight in Las Vegas in advance of Saturday’s Nevada caucuses. The debate will be broadcast live on NBC News, MSNBC and Universo (in Spanish) beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Posted on

News Round-Up: January 24, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Ramses Principe (above) waxes grateful about the journey thus far. Always a good idea, no? Follow the hunky fitness expert on Instagram here. • Washington Blade: A woman falsely accused a circuit party that caters to queer people of color of being “an organized sex party” setting off a string of investigations. • ABC News: Two-thirds of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll say the U.S. Senate should call new witnesses at Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. • Talking Points Memo: Sen. Elizabeth Warren has pledged to release all impeachment-related documents that the White House has barred should she become president.

• KIT212: Kenneth rounds up the what’s what in local gay rags across the country. Check the latest from Gloss Magazine (below) here.
The latest issue of Gloss Magazine (via Kenneth-in-the-212)
• The Gaily Grind: A Republican ‘family values’ candidate was busted for joining a dating website for married men looking to cheat. • CNN: Bernie Sanders is facing a backlash from some Democrats after his campaign trumpeted an endorsement from comedian Joe Rogan, a popular podcast and YouTube talk show host with a history of making racist, homophobic and transphobic comments. Sanders’ national press secretary issued a statement that read, in part: “Sharing a big tent requires including those who do not share every one of our beliefs, while always making clear that we will never compromise our values. The truth is that by standing together in solidarity, we share the values of love and respect that will move us in the direction of a more humane, more equal world.”

Posted on

Former Oklahoma State Chair For Trump Campaign Ordered To Pay $125K In Restitution To Child Sex Victim

Former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey, who was busted for child sex trafficking, has been ordered to pay more than $125,000 in restitution to his victim.
Former OK state Sen. Ralph Shortey

Former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey, who was busted for child sex trafficking, has been ordered to pay more than $125,000 in restitution to his victim.

Shortey, who served as Donald Trump’s state campaign chair in 2016, was arrested in March 2017 after police found him with a 17-year-old boy in a motel room in Moore, Oklahoma. Police found marijuana and condoms on the premises at the time of the arrest.

An affidavit from one of the police investigators revealed text messages between the teen and Shortey showed the former ‘family values’ lawmaker was looking to pay the boy for sex.

(click image to enlarge – warning: mature language)

Shortey pleaded guilty to one count of child sex trafficking in November 2017 in exchange for three child pornography charges being dropped. He’s currently serving a 15 year prison sentence in Texas.

Although federal prosecutors requested $535,000 in restitution to be paid to the victim, the judge has ordered Shortey pay $125,850.

Shortey does not have the right to appeal the judgment.

According to local news station KFOR, the original $535K figure sought by prosecutors was “to include mental, psychiatric and psychological treatment along with the victim’s estimated lost income resulting from Shortey’s offense.”

The prosecutors pointed out in their motion that the victim “did not complete high school, largely because of the trauma and victimization caused by the defendant.”

The majority of the requested restitution, $410,000, was to offset lost future income as the Social Security Administration calculates a lifetime loss of approximately $410,000 for individuals who don’t finish high school.

But the judge disregarded that argument as speculative since the boy had obtained his GED.

Shortey’s attorney, Ed Blau, told KFOR he felt the judgment was fair, although the victim won’t receive the majority of the funds anytime soon.

“By statute, my client was ordered to pay $125,000 immediately,” said Blau. “Obviously, he’s incarcerated – he’s not going to be able to do that, so what they will do is they’ll take a certain amount off his books each month.”

(h/t KFOR)

Posted on

Former Oklahoma “Family Values” State Senator Requests And Is Denied Release Pending Sentencing For Child Sex Trafficking

On Thursday, former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey, who pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking in connection to meeting a 17-year-old boy at a motel for paid sexual favors, asked Judge Timothy Deguisti to release him pending sentencing.

According to police investigations, the teenager apparently needed money and offered sex acts in exchange for money. Shortey showed up with marijuana and condoms.

Shortey’s lawyer based the request for release predicated on Shortey not being a flight risk due to having a wife and his four children who are all homeschooled.

Judge Deguisti denied the request and had Shortey taken into custody.

Shortey, an anti-LGBT, “family values” Republican acted as Donald Trump’s Oklahoma state campaign chair during the 2016 presidential election.

(source)

Posted on

Alabama’s Lone Gay Legislator Threatens To Out Colleagues’ Marital Infidelities

Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd has decided she’s had enough of the grand espousing of “family values” as an attack on same-sex couples as the marriage equality issue comes to a head in her state.

Speaking to the Daily Times, Todd said:

“I will not stand by and allow legislators to talk about ‘family values’ when they have affairs, and I know of many who are and have,” Todd, the state’s only openly gay lawmaker, said on Facebook over the weekend. “I will call our elected officials who want to hide in the closet out.”

“If certain people come out and start espousing this rhetoric about family values, then I will say, ‘Let’s talk about family values, because here’s what I heard.’ I don’t have direct knowledge, because obviously I’m not the other person involved in the affair. But one thing you would never hear about me is that I ever cheated on a partner or had an affair,” said Todd.

“One thing I’m pretty consistent on is I do not like hypocrites,” she added. “If you can explain your position and you hold yourself to the same standard you want to hold me to, then fine. But you cannot go out there and smear my community by condemning us and somehow making us feel less than, and expect me to be quiet.”

After reading some anti-gay rhetoric based on “family values” attacking the recent ruling which struck down Alabama’s same-sex marriage ban, Todd issued her not-too-veiled threat.

Marriage equality is currently on hold – AGAIN – as Judge Granade issued a last minute 14 day stay on her ruling.

The Attorney General of Alabama is heading to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in hopes of a longer stay on the ruling.