Decade of Decadence

The 10 most explosive political gay sex scandals of the last 10 years

As we enter into the roaring ’20s, Queerty is looking back on the last 10 years of culture in our “Decade of Decadence” series. We’ve seen an explosion in queer representation in film and TV, music, politics, and on social media. We’ve grown more aware of intersectionality, gender identity, and sexual fluidity and we’ve seen major social and political advancements across the globe. It’s been wild, wonderful decade, and we can hardly wait to see what the next one has in store.

A proud conservative Christian from Ohio caught having sex with another dude in his government office after hours.

A Republican lawmaker from Illinois busted for using his ex-girlfriend’s nudes to catfish unsuspecting men online into having cybersex.

A Tea Partier from Michigan outed for faking his own gay sex scandal to distract from his real-life straight sex scandal.

The 2010s were a banner decade for antigay politicians getting caught with their pants around their ankles, giving credence to the age-old saying that those who protest the loudest usually have the most to hide. Here’s a look back at 10 of the most explosive political gay sex scandals of the last 10 years…

Mike Yenni

mike-yenni-single

The happily married father of three and local Republican politician from Louisiana admitted to sexting with a 17-year-old Catholic school boy who he met at a luncheon for graduating seniors in 2015. According to the teen, after the luncheon, Yenni arranged to meet him in a mall bathroom, where the lawmaker gifted him a pair of $75 designer underpants then asked him to send him pictures of himself modeling them. Then they made out for a while.

Related: Radio show callers want answers from Mike Yenni about that whole Catholic school boy sext scandal

Wes Goodman

The self-described “Christian. American. Conservative. Republican” from Ohio resigned in 2017 after a staffer walked in on him having sex with another dude in his office. Shortly after that, screenshots of the sexts between Goodman and several other men leaked online, as well as internal emails about his involvement with an underage boy at an antigay fundraiser in 2015. Then not one but two different guys came forward to say they’d hooked up with him after meeting him on Craigslist.

Related: That time disgraced GOP Rep. Wes Goodman fondled a male teen at an antigay fundraiser

Jerry Falwell Jr.

OK, OK, so he may not be a Republican politician, but he’s so steeped in Republican politics we figured we’d include him on the list… Trump evangelical helping hand made headlines earlier this year when it was reported his former pool boy had dirty photos of him and was using them to blackmail Falwell to the tune of $1.8 million. Falwell denied the photos existed, and the pool boy denied blackmailing him, but neither denied the $1.8 million payment, which remains unexplained.

Related: Antigay activist Jerry Falwell Jr. embroiled in x-rated photos scandal

Roberto Arango

The married Republican senator from Puerto Rico made headlines in 2011 after a series of his very revealing bathroom selfies emerged online. At first, Arango, who opposed same-sex marriage, tried saying he had taken the hole pics to document his weight loss. Then he tried suggesting an opponent had hacked into his personal computer and leaked them as an act of political warfare. Then he finally admitted that, yeah, OK, he’d taken them to share with guys on Grindr and, yeah, OK, he was also gay.

Related: Naughty Gay Pics Sink Puerto Rican Senator’s Political Career

Bill Sanderson

In July of this year, the queer-hating Republican was accused of keeping a secret Grindr profile while simultaneously pushing several pieces of antigay legislation through the Tennessee House of Representatives. After screenshots of alleged chats between Sanderson and other men leaked online, the lawmaker–who, by the way, happens to have a gay son–insisted he was being framed then said he was resigning from office, though he maintained his resignation had nothing to do with the gay sex scandal. Riiiight.

Related: It turns out that antigay lawmaker allegedly caught on Grindr also has a gay son

Todd Courser

The antigay Tea Partier from Michigan faked his own gay sex scandal in 2015. Leaked audio recordings heard him instructing an aide to send an anonymous email to GOP influencers alleging that was a closeted homosexual and seen hooking up with another man in a dark alley behind a nightclub. It was later revealed that Courser was actually trying to cover up the less-scandalous fact that he was having a heterosexual affair with Rep. Cindy Gamrat, another a married Tea Party state lawmaker. After they were exposed, both resigned from office in disgrace.

Related: Republican Lawmaker Fakes His Own Gay Sex Scandal To Hide Real Sex Scandal, Fails

Chris Lee

In 2011, the socially conservative Republican from New York resigned within hours of a story breaking about his late night hobby of browsing for trans women and cross-dressing men on Craigslist. Lee, who was married at the time and whose wife had just given birth to their first child, said he’d made some “profound mistakes” and would work hard to seek his family’s forgiveness.

Related: Should Rep. Chris Lee Take Even More Heat Because He Cruised Trans Women On Craigslist?

Nick Sauer

The Republican lawmaker resigned from the Illinois House of Representatives in 2018 after he was accused of using his ex-girlfriend’s nudes to create a fake Instagram account in order to catfish unsuspecting guys into having cybersex. In January 2019, he was indicted on twelve counts of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images. Each count is a Class 4 felony, which means his obsession with catfishing straight guys could turn him into a 12-time convicted felon. His trial is still pending.

Related: Straight lawmaker accused of using ex-girlfriend’s nude pics to catfish guys into having cybersex

Ralph Shortey

The former state senator from Oklahoma resigned in March 2017 after being caught with a 17-year-old boy in a Super 8 motel room. It was later revealed that the married father of four had offered the kid cash for “sexual stuff.” Police also uncovered text messages between Shortey and the teen, who he called “baby boy,” referencing bareback sex. Then that December, police body cam footage of Shortey being busted was released. Shortey, who worked as Trump campaign chairman for Oklahoma in 2016, pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking.

Related: Former GOP Senator will serve serious prison time for soliciting 17-year-old boy

Aaron Schock

Aaron Schock, corruption, gay

Mr. Schock began this decade as a beloved conservative golden boy representing Illinois’s 18th congressional district and opposing all things LGBTQ. Then he was busted for misusing funds to redecorate his office to resemble the set of Downton Abbey, buy tickets to Ariana Grande and Katy Perry concerts, and fly a personal male photographer around with him everywhere he went to take photos for his Instagram page, among other things. He resigned in 2015 under immense public pressure and went into hiding for a few years. Then this year he made headlines again, first for making out with a dude at Coachella, then for stuffing dollar bills down a male strippers g-string, and then for having his nudes leak online. What a difference 10 years makes!

Related: Aaron Schock addresses nude pics, Coachella video, and antigay past in alleged leaked private chat

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