It’s not surprising when a Republican opposes marriage equality. It is, though, when the Republican once was a drag queen who entertained under the name Mona Sinclair.
Steve Wiles is now a 34-year-old realtor in Belews Creek, NC, seeking the Republican nomination for a state senate seat. But starting in the late 1990s, Wiles was a fixture at the Odyssey, an LGBT club, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. There, Wiles performed as Mona Sinclair. In fact, Wiles eventually emceed the shows and book performers for it.
“I recognized his picture when I was looking in the paper. That’s definitely him. He has aged some, but that’s him,” Randy Duggins, the co-owner of the Odyssey, told the paper. “I have no ax to grind against him. I just think he’s a liar.”
The liar part relates to Wiles’ opposition to marriage equality. Wiles was once a Democrat, voting in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. By 2012, he was a Republican, campaigning for the state’s anti-marriage equality amendment. For someone politically ambitious with flexible principles, the move was a natural, since the GOP has come to dominate the state political apparatus.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Wiles was also less than forthcoming about his mascara’d past. He repeatedly denied to the Journal that he was Mona Simpson. He was even confronted about the rumors last year by the county GOP chairman, denying it to him as well. Finally nailed by the paper, Wiles issued a non-explanation.
“I have already apologized to the people who matter most to me for the things I did when I was young,” Wiles said. He just never said what “the things” were.
In a subsequent interview with Business Insider, Wiles was somewhat more transparent. “For me, from a religious standpoint, just for my life, for me, it just was not something that I wanted to continue,” Wiles said. “Of course it was an embarrassment, but you know, you move on. You live life, and you change, and you make yourself what you want yourself to be. And that’s where I am now.”
Queerty also discovered a few more details that Wiles would probably prefer not to share. It wasn’t just a drag show that Mona hosted. It also include male strippers.
And Wiles would have you believe that his past was well past. It it not. Queerty found that as late as 2011, Mona Sinclair was still entertaining, at the Miss North Carolina Entertainer of the Year show. That’s the same year Wiles was banned from the Miss Gay America Pageant system for “conduct unbecoming to a promoter”–another story waiting to be told.
A webpage for the now-defunct Odyssey talks praises Mona for her “wit and caddy [sic] humor.” It will come in handy now.
Business Insider asked Wiles point blank if he was an ex-gay, Wiles refused to answer. “No, no, I really wont make any comments on that,” he said.
Perhaps that’s a question that Mona would be able to answer.
BTW, if anyone has a picture of Mona, we would love to see it.
Photo credit: Facebook
Discover more
JD13
Mona Sinclair or Mona Simpson? I hope the pics come out.
Billy Budd
LOL LOL LOL, there are no limits to hypocrisy.
Shanestud
I wonder if Brian Brown at NOM will feature him as one of the “heroes” standing up and fighting for “natural marriage” in North Carolina.
jckfmsincty
He must have been one, unattractive drag queen, just like Glenn Beck.
Mezaien
You can fool people sometime, but not all the time. Once a bitch always a bitch.
dayz3d
Typical politician-except this one’s a class-A hypocrite
tjr101
You just can’t make this stuff up, lol
He is a hypocrite and a liar, the perfect republican.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
“Marcus Bachman: The Early Years”
Cam
So in other words, pretty much a similar story to 90% of all anti-gay bigots.
Harley
The ONLY thing he is good for is for NOM to parade him around and show how homosexuality is a choice. How pathetic.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Shanestud: He actually looks like Brian Brown, whom I am sure also has some pictures that eventually will surface that will show his true colors…………..
Billy Budd
She did not have enough talent to keep the career as a drag queen, but I am sure she will be fabulous as a conservative senator.
AkoSiCurt
@Billy Budd: heffer on heels can’t dance, that is for sure.
AkoSiCurt
@jckfmsincty: He was VERY unattractive. I just posted two youtube videos in the comments.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Gee, what an absolute non suprise! Yet another GOP right wing nut bag pontificating against Gay marriage with lots of skeletons piled up waaaaay high in his closet……………….
AkoSiCurt
Imagine that – the youtube videos suddenly went “private”.
ncboy1982
That “heffer” y’all are talking about is me and I am not Mona Sinclair. My name is Jason and my drag name is Bobbi Lee SinClaire, not the same person or even related to Mona Sinclaire. And yes, I turned all the videos private as they are on my YouTube page and I didn’t want my videos or drag name to be slandered out there any worse than it already has. Look at this picture, you will clearly see that I am not Mona Sinclair. http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221/ncboy1982/IMG_0001.jpg
WuzUpYall
A politician lying and being a hypocrite? That’s strange. NOT
mcflyer54
Election results will be mighty interesting now that this information has been brought to light. Will the GOP “stand by their man” or will he suddenly become “persona non grata”‘ I doubt that they can rule him out as a candidate but they can certainly shut down the money – it will be interesting to see what the wingnuts do to try and save this state senate seat. The NC primary is May 6th and it’s a three way race for the nomination with Wiles already looking to finish third – let’s hope NC has a great sense of humor and they hand Mona the nomination so the rest of the country can have a good laugh.
robho3
hahaha love it