The scandal involving Republican Mike Yenni, the former mayor of Kenner, Louisiana who currently serves as Jefferson Parish President, is getting messier by the day.
Last week, the 40-year-old conservative “happily married father of one” was outed for allegedly sexting with a 17-year-old boy who he met at a Catholic school function, gifting the teenager designer underwear and kissing him in a mall bathroom.
Related: Married Conservative Politician Outed For Sexting Teen Boy, Kissing Him In Mall Bathroom
Now, it’s being reported that Yenni purchased a table at Jesuit High School’s commencement luncheon in New Orleans back in April of this year. The luncheon is held each spring for graduating seniors as they are formally welcomed into the Jesuit Alumni Association. It also serves as a fundraiser for the school.
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.
The luncheon is where Yenni, who is a graduate of the esteemed high school and who would frequently return to give speeches to students, allegedly met his teenage boyfriend back in 2015.
When school officials learned that he was planning on attending the function again in 2016, they allegedly panicked and asked a friend of the politician to politely inform him that his presence would not be welcome. As a result, Yenni did not attend.
Apparently, the rescinded invitation came just weeks after Yenni’s former election challenger, Elton Lagassee, quietly sent a letter to Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans urging him to investigate rumors about the politician’s affinity for teen boys.
Related: Teen’s Story About Hooking Up With Married Politician Sounds Awfully Like Mike Yenni
“As a grandfather of a child in a Catholic school, I am very concerned about the potential for future incidents of misconduct by Mr. Yenni should these allegations be confirmed by your investigation,” Lagasse wrote, adding that Yenni “will certainly be attending many functions at schools in the parish.”
Aymond responded to the letter by saying, ““I appreciate receiving this information. As you know, we take such allegations very seriously.”
So what does this mean exactly?
It sure sounds like school officials were aware of Yenni’s penchant for Catholic school boys and attempted to mitigate the situation internally.
Sound familiar?
Too bad the press got wind of it before it could be safely swept under the rug.
Tom Bagwill, who serves as director of institutional advancement for Jesuit High School, didn’t return calls from local press seeking comment. Yenni’s office, as well, is keeping mum, though a representative said this morning that he plans to “address the allegations against him later this week.”
Related: Internet Responds In All Sorts Of Ways To Married Conservative Mike Yenni’s Boy Trouble
h/t: The Advocate
Hermes
He was of legal age, Yenni was not in a position of relative power related to him. It simply is not our business.
Kangol
Well, at least the school took steps not to allow the ephebophile to scope out other prospective conquests. I wonder, though, if he supports LGBTQ rights and equality in his parish (state district) and in Louisiana. Does he? Is he for same-sex marriage? For protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination, losing their jobs, children, etc.? Or is this a situation where he benefits in private from all the advances LGBTQ have achieved while in public remaining silent or supporting LGBTQ oppression? Yenni, speak up now!
Evji108
Why did the twink out him in the first place? Did they have a fight or something, or maybe he didn’t get everything on his Amazon wish list? It seems slimy and mean to have outed Mike Yenni.
Chris
IMHO,the school did the right thing in uninviting get him.
ChrisGMN
This is ridiculous. The man didn’t do anything legally wrong, but leave it to Queerty to try to make it into some big drama. For Christ’s sake, we are about to elect a lunatic as president, and this is what you are focused on?
mikey50
I was a 16 year old Catholic boy who had a passionate affair with a 35 year old man. There was no abuse. I went into it with eyes wide open.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
I’m always amazed and never disappointed by the giddy eagerness certain gay men have for lighting the torches and pointing the way to the castle to the angry pitchfork-wielding villagers on their latest trumped up pedomonster crusade
Jack Meoff
Regardless of the fact that the boy was of legal age it is still pretty gross to have a man old enough to be his father sexting him. Also, if he was an anti-gay crusader that’s even worse. Not sure of his stance on gay rights though.
Josh447
Yenni has no record of being anti-gay.
rand503
@Josh447: Yes he does. He’s a member of the Republican Party and was elected as a member. That means he supports its agenda, and it’s agenda ia 100% anti-gay.
You can’t say that you are a member of a club and disavow all the action items of the club. Silence is assent, and his silence means he accepted the Republican’ party platform.
oilburner
Everyone going on and on about this Yenni dude being cute and all have probably yet to see a full length picture of the dude . Either that or they just keep forgetting to mention that he’s also kinda fat. Cute face , fucked up body.
Stilinski26
Oh please give it a rest, the teen probably started to have feelings for him but Yenni wanted to end their little rendezvous, so he was mad and was jealous of his wife, Its like a equivalent of bunny boiler.
Josh447
@rand503: You’re thinking in terms of black and white. Not all Republicans are anti-gay just as all Christians are not anti-gay. Think color.
joeyty
I always picture the Queerty editors as vicious white-haired ascot-wearing queens holding glasses of scotch with the ice cubes clinking away as they go on their venemous tirades.
Kangol
@oilburner: You know you’re wrong fatshaming the closeted ephebophile Republican, girl. Now you’re going to make her have a complex about her copious corpulence.
Kangol
Oh boy: Yenni is now admitting having sexted the “young man,” but says he won’t resign: http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/politics/article_11a822ee-8c0c-11e6-82da-fbb398ba7bcd.html
o.codone
I don’t see the problem here. Mostly everybody likes teenage boys, so Yenni is just doing what a bunch of Queerty guys would do, chase young dick. So, leave the guy alone.
as for @rand503: what you said is just ridiculous. seriously you support everything the dems say, all their positions? No you don’t. And, if you DO, you’re just stupid.
I’m a conservative and I’m also a big fag, so go figure.
gaym50ish
It’s human nature for any man to be attracted to people in the prime of their physical beauty. And teenagers are receptive to attention from adults. Sometimes it’s an easier way to have those first sexual experiences than going after the inexperienced classmate.
in fact, the 18-year standard for becoming an adult is rather arbitrary. We don’t consider anyone younger to be allowed to give informed consent, but haven’t we all been there when we were in our teens? Were we so immature and uninformed that we didn’t know what we wanted between puberty and age 18? Weren’t WE sometimes the aggressors when we liked an older man?
My husband talks about the crush he had on his wrestling coach — in MIDDLE SCHOOL no less — and the coach seemed interested but was too ethical to do anything about it. It think that is often the case — that the kid, not the adult, is the aggressor.
gaym50ish
“Happily” married? I’d be willing to bet that won’t last long.