NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally introduced Monday that he’s “pausing” all social media exercise after revelations that he repeatedly commented on posts of nearly nude photos of a younger homosexual mannequin and different LGBTQ personalities.
McNally, a Republican, initially acknowledged final week that he “had no intention of stopping” when pressed about why he repeatedly commented on racy social media posts by the 20-year-old. He later issued an apology, saying it was not his intention to embarrass his associates, household or members of the legislature.
Nevertheless, the 79-year-old legislative chief has since obtained nationwide consideration — together with being parodied on Saturday Night Live — with critics accusing McNally of being hypocritical. Significantly, McNally supported laws proscribing the place sure drag reveals can happen.
A number of the posts which have sparked probably the most uproar embody commenting on a photograph of the person’s bottom, the place he was sporting solely underwear, saying “you may flip a wet day into rainbow and sunshine.” McNally then posted a remark utilizing solely coronary heart and fireplace emojis. In a separate publish, McNally posted a coronary heart emoji of the person knocking down his underwear.
“Whereas I see now that I ought to have been extra cautious about how my feedback and exercise could be perceived, my intent was at all times engagement and encouragement,” McNally stated in a press release. “Because of this, I might be pausing my social media exercise with a view to mirror and obtain extra steerage on the usage of social media.”
McNally added whereas he might have made “some errors,” he disagreed that he had a document of being “anti-gay” and pointed to his opposition of a 2020 legislation that assured continued taxpayer funding of faith-based foster care and adoption companies even when these organizations exclude LGBTQ households and others based mostly on non secular beliefs.
But McNally then pointed to his help of “conventional marriage” and help of payments that “hold obscenity out of the general public sphere.”
“There isn’t a contradiction right here,” he stated.
McNally, who’s from Oak Ridge, grew to become lieutenant governor in 2017. He has been a state lawmaker because the late Nineteen Seventies.
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