An antigay lawmaker has just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Rep. Randy Boehning (pictured), a 52-year-old Republican legislator from Fargo, N.D. who has actively worked against extending equal rights for gay people, has been outed for having a Grindr profile.
21-year-old Dustin Smith of Bismarck, N.D. exposed the lawmaker after Boehning voted against Senate Bill 2279, which would have granted LGBT people legal protections against discrimination.
“How can you discriminate against the person you’re trying to pick up?” he said in an interview.
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.
Boehning’s screen name? Top Man!
Smith said that Boehning, er, Top Man! sent him raunchy messages as well as an unsolicited photo of his penis in the early morning hours of March 12.
Related: Hear From Closeted Gay Republicans Cruising Grindr At CPAC
Boehning, who is single, initially declined to comment on whether he was, in fact, Top Man! But on Saturday he confirmed everything.
He called sending the x-rated photo a “lapse in judgement” before adding, “That’s what gay guys do on gay sites, don’t they? That’s how things happen on Grindr. It’s a gay chat site. It’s not the first thing you do on that site. That’s what we do, exchange pics on the site.”
Boehning went on to say that he voted against the bill because he didn’t believe his constituents would support it.
In other words: He’s more concerned about his career than his community.
As for being outed, Boehning says, “The 1,000-pound gorilla has been lifted. I have to confront it at some point.”
Related: “I Did It For The Money” And Other Popular Excuses After Getting Caught Acting All Gay
h/t: Inforum
Jerry Payney
who the hell would even attempt to do that mug????
AtticusBennett
one more for the list!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTP3eUyOkoE&spfreload=10
dommyluc
I hate to inform you of this fact, Rep. Boehning (LOL! That is just too fucking sweet!), but the “1,000 pound gorilla” is the one depicted in your photo.
Oh, and it’s an “800 pound” gorilla, you fucking moron!
James Reyes
Sick!!
Kevin Cato
Eccch! I recognize that a senator’s job is to represent his constituents, not himself necessarily. But he sounds relieved to be rid of the duplicity involved in representing a constituency with social views that, presumably, conflict with his own. I don’t know. I just felt like commenting.
blessingyou
Despite that he’s a hypocrite, I find his honest response to that scandal pretty refreshing.
Colin McCoy
At least he admits it.
throwslikeagirl
@blessingyou: While I agree that he didn’t make a big deal out of this and came out, it really ticks me off that these jerks repeatedly use the “temporary lapse of judgement” defense only after they are found out.
Kangol
Self-hatred and homophobia destroy lives, including the ones of hypocrites like Boehning who promote both.
Maybe now Boehning, after being led out of the closet, and other GOP LGBTIQs will wake up and reject policies that harm the lives of other lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer/questioning people!
AtticusBennett
this is why nobody respects gay republicans, they’re such wimps.
straight republicans don’t respect you and, gay liberals don’t respect you. you’re wimps, you’re cowards, and if we’re being totally honest you’re the least-f**able toads on the planet.
David Conan
Burn him alive
Tony Holewinski
Wow! I’m shocked!
Kevin J Desmond
I guess she flung them closet doors open thinking she was closing them … oh-well. Just another self hating homo, gurl you fucked now and nobody wants your ass.
Dale Landefeld
SICK….
David Chin
If your constituents won’t support the bill why would they support you!! As a leader, you have the responsibility to lead! This is sickening
Ra Hill
Patrick Laney
Stupid is more like it. Why do this people – you are just going to continue to get caught with your fly down…
Craig Marker
Unbelievable. Sad.
Cam
Just more proof that bigots who hate gays probably do so because they hate that part of themselves.
jimontp
It’s beyond sick. A GOP closet case who has “actively worked against equal rights for gays,” and is stupid enough to go on Grindr and then send photos of his dick? Is this a joke? It would be interesting to know what this scumbag said about the Log Cabin Republicans, the organization where these men are common.
MCHG
@Cam: lmaoo what hate? The guy said he voter the way he did because his constituents wanted him to, which is the job of an elected representative. The guy fessed up to being gay and seems relieved to be honest about that side of himself.
Dakotahgeo
I’m originally from North Dakota and half the GD State is closeted gay/bisexual men hiding behind a sham marriage! I’m related to some of them and they know damn well who they are!
Bauhaus
Watch that wussy, Aaron Shock, come out and say the same thing, once he gets caught. Gutless republicans, the lot of them.
darian
@MCHG: The problem is he ran as a member of a party that he wouldn’t agree or support that side of himself. Nothing he did was honest and quite frankly nothing he will do will be honest either. He couldn’t even come out of the closet honestly and when he was forced out he gave some bullshit excuse for his actions by stereotyping all gay men by saying stupid shit like we show each other our dicks to say hello.
darian
Gay Republicans are nothing but frauds and liars.
Michael Estes
I’m stickin’ to Manhunt!!
tjr101
Gay Republicans are the worst possible enemies to equality.
Jodie Begaye
SMH
Frank Mosca
Self-hating closet case who decides to make others lives as miserable as his own.
Luis H. Lopez
Traitors Should be punished by the gay community !
Horse Lips
If there are any ladies reading this… if you were straight-married and your husband is a big giant homophobe, you might wanna keep your eyes open.
Transiteer
Another closeted Republican (and Lawyer). Can you get any lower? Nope. I’m sure he must have to pay big $ to get some though having seen his photo.
Viet Do
Of course his last name is Boning.
Antoni Kahwage
Ron Cameron
Glass houses, bitch.
William Edward Thomas
Another hypocrite! Asshole!
ScottOnEarth
They’re always ugly, too.
Thomas Parkinson
A Repub hypocrite? Well, clutch the pearls!
polarisfashion
How soon until Marcus Bachmann comes out?
Jeffrey Carpenter
Ass&hole
Mr. Glamour Shot
@AtticusBennett. Dang. I thought your responses to the what gays do when straights aren’t watching was so right on – actually best responses I’ve read. I’m bummed that we don’t agree this time around.
From just a brief review comments, it isn’t real shocking to read the judgement and armchair quarterback responses. Always hilarious when people can just throw a “this is what I would do if in his position,” pat themselves on their backs, marvel at how amazing they are, and then bash the wrong-doer. And on top of all of it, start the tired Republicans are evil and Christians are evil rhetoric. It’s a boring, ineffective, and lazy response. I would rather be a wimp than be lazy.
younger Republicans have started to shift the percentage of those Republicans that support gay marriage. Think the change was like 12% overall and A significant one. The strategy of divide by hate and name-calling, us vs. them, is the same lame strategy that those that are anti-gay use. Shouldn’t our strategy be different? While my political leaning is more right, it doesn’t mean that it is fair to just throw me and others into the coward pile. If anything, it takes a lot determination and understanding to discuss gay rights with other fellow Republicans and help change mindset without the hate and judgement as well as the punishment of “I told you so” or “you should have already been in our corner.”
I believe the more involvement LGBTQ have with those that do not agree in equal rights and protections will result in a positive change in their opinion/stance. It is harder to deny rights for someone you know; especially one that continues to have a respectful dialogue with understanding – even if it doesn’t work both ways.
Xzamilio
@Mr. Glamour Shot: No, it won’t. Good ole fashioned peer pressure has worked immensely in this case, as these worms in Congress — both on the right and the left — vote whichever way the popular vote goes, with only a handful going against the grain. Hell, Obama only came out vocally for marriage equality after the left lit a fire under his ass and Biden came out for it… BEFORE him!! You know what isn’t shocking to me? Reading anti-LGBT sympathizers trying to admonish those who lambaste hypocrites like this man who — like I said — go whichever way the wind blows instead of against the grain. Gay rights aren’t what the party want, even though I’m gay? Fuck it… I’ll just vote what the party wants, screw the rights of my own damn community.
You know what I believe? I believe that if it hasn’t happened by now, it’s likely it won’t happen until the older and more homophobic people die off, because how much can we show them that we are the same as they are? How much more can they see that we are not trying to convert their children or bring Islam to their churches or rape their sons??? Well, not all of us anyway.
“And on top of all of it, start the tired Republicans are evil and Christians are evil rhetoric. It’s a boring, ineffective, and lazy response. I would rather be a wimp than be lazy.”
Aww, you’re tired of it? Me, too. I’m tired of Christianity being forced on me as though I have to live by their iron age morality. I’m tired of Republicans in Congress voting with their bibles and not their common sense, if they even have any.
“The strategy of divide by hate and name-calling, us vs. them, is the same lame strategy that those that are anti-gay use. Shouldn’t our strategy be different?”
Nope… because we do it better and we do it with evidence. And what exactly do they need to see about us that they haven’t learned already? If anything, their approach has just been getting more and more passive aggressive with the same none results happening.
Saint Law
@Mr. Glamour Shot: “the tired Republicans are evil and Christians are evil rhetoric”
I don’t know about ‘evil’ – it has theological connotations. And I wouldn’t necessarily conflate those two groups – there are Christians who aren’t homophobic, just as I suppose there are conservative who aren’t too.
But there is no conservative who is not, by the nature of his ideology, committed to inequality, the self-entitlement of the already wealthy, the destruction of social mobility and leveling down of standards academic and artistic excellence.
And before you squeak “DAT AINT SO!” take a good look around: it is the fruit of so called ‘free market’ policies everywhere – as the last forty years have incontrovertibly demonstrated.
AtticusBennett
@Mr. Glamour Shot: how about you do something productive with your apparent non-bigoted republican-ism?
do what i’ve been doing for years – making videos with my family, sharing them on youtube.
it’d be neat to see what you and your family are doing to convince other republicans to stop being such un-American bigoted @ssholes.
i mean, if you voted for Romney and McCain, you’re on the losing side of history – your claims to being “not one of THOSE republicans” are negated – you VOTED FOR “those republicans” – those who actively work against LGBT Equality and indeed promote the idea that we are lesser people.
here’s another reason why you’re wrong, of many – it’s not “republicans are evil” – it’s “republicans are dishonest and give excuses” – what do YOU stand for? tax breaks for the wealthiest citizens? cuts to education? the continued promotion of racism in america? the continued promotion of anti-LGBT prejudice in america? the codifying of ant-LGBT prejudice into law and policy? because when you vote GOP, that’s what you’ve actively supported.
but by all means, show us all what amazing work you and your family are doing, and – even better- show us how well it’s worked so far – how many people you’ve turned to become active visible and vocal pro-LGBT republicans.
you can post your work here.
Bauhaus
@Mr. Glamour Shot:
“I find it mind boggling that the great unwashed still don’t get that The Party Of Stupid use social wedge issues, which they just love, over and over, to whip up false outrage and distract their simple-minded voters from how badly their policies screw the people who actually work for a living, while giving the 1% more and more money and power.
“LOOK! OVER THERE! (SOME SOCIAL OUTRAGE THAT FOX NEWS NEEDS YOU TO GET INCENSED ABOUT!) IGNORE THAT WE’RE TRYING TO ELIMINATE THE INHERITANCE TAX, SO THE RICH CAN STAY RICH WITHOUT WORKING!”
I don’t know which is more pathetic – that right wing idiots keep foisting this off on the stupid, or that the stupid keep buying it.”
AtticusBennett
in short – as long as you say “hey, i support LGBT Equality, but will vote for you even if you don’t” means that they will never need to change their stances.
and that’s why nothing has changed. Gay Republicans are the reason the GOP continues to be the leading force of anti-LGBT prejudice in america. you give them no reason to change their stance when you support them ANYWAY.
AtticusBennett
@Bauhaus: EXACTLY!
know why the GOP remains anti-gay, and WILL REMAIN anti-gay? because they can’t go to their base and say “vote for us and your fat uneducated kids will remain fat and uneducated, you’ll remain poor, your health will suck, and we’ll give tax breaks to the wealthiest of citizens”
instead those idiots say “YAY! mah republican senator is gonna make sure that the bible is our official state book and he’ll stop those gays from coming into my church and taking away my religious freedoms!”
Aubrey Saunders
I’m sure it was for research. Yeah right!
Jeffrey Leonardi
Roan
This is the one time I’m not even remotely interested in seeing the pics.
jorgecruz
The most ridiculous part of this article is that he has the nerve to use the screen name Top Man. Bitch please , you have pig bottom written all over that mug.
OhHellNo
“1000-pound gorilla”? The pic looks more like 275.