Well, this story took a turn we weren’t expecting.
Yesterday, Queerty reported on openly gay White House reporter Chris Johnson from the Washington Blade thirsting over vehemently antigay Sen. Josh Hawley on Twitter.
I’m on Capitol Hill and just saw Sen. Hawley walk by.
His chest is so built you can see it protruding from underneath his suit. I’m sorry but it’s true.
— Chris Johnson (@chrisjohnson82) April 26, 2021
Pretty much everyone was confused by the tweet. We tried getting in touch with Johnson about it, but were unable to reach him.
Apparently, though, he saw our story and wasn’t happy because he shared it on Twitter along with caption: “There’s something homophobic about this post in a gay publication. Isn’t it part of the gay experience to pine after men who will never return those feelings, even ones who would vote against your rights?”
How about we take this to the next level?
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There's something homophobic about this post in a gay publication.
Isn't it part of the gay experience to pine after men who will never return those feelings, even ones who would vote against your rights?https://t.co/Mx6smR8pBF
— Chris Johnson (@chrisjohnson82) April 27, 2021
Huh?
It’s hard to tell whether Johnson is being serious or if this is his attempt at a joke. In either case, the response didn’t land well with, frankly, anyone…
I didn’t know it was the gay experience to pine after racists. pic.twitter.com/271PYjexo7
— LiberalNotLoony️ (@Edwinw_1997) April 28, 2021
Please go to therapy.
— Kodi Seaton (@StepToTheMic) April 27, 2021
why are you doubling down on this
— Jrmy Dzn (@mrjeremydizon) April 28, 2021
— Logan A. Heiman (@LoganAHeiman) April 28, 2021
It’s not homophobic. You posted something people found objectionable. A lot of us have *actually* been the target of homophobia. You were not.
— Matthew of April (@TeachToAmerica) April 28, 2021
— Bry (@brymink15) April 28, 2021
i got secondhand embarrassment reading this tweet
— Brian M (@iambriian) April 27, 2021
— AusSyndie (@AusSyndicialist) April 28, 2021
I’ve never felt that, no
— (@Devon_OnEarth) April 27, 2021
I mean, usually around college most gay people eventually realize that’s futile and just inflicting self-harm. So no. pic.twitter.com/t77xvQLu4G
— ️ Still Jim (@CrazyJimP) April 28, 2021
girl what are you doing? I don’t think social media is for you
— Paul (@sailorbluto) April 28, 2021
there’s nothing homophobic about thinking it’s weird to be hornt for average looking bigots. pic.twitter.com/konHluPb0G
— Heauxletariat ️ ↙️↙️↙️ (@DerAnwalt83) April 28, 2021
it’s homophobic of you to have such awful taste in men that you’d tweet about josh hawley
— Grossferatu: a Mitzi of horror (@mitzienscene) April 27, 2021
white gays once again doing all the wrong things. pic.twitter.com/4JvW97W5iR
— Chachi Edwin Camacho (he/him) (@Chachi) April 28, 2021
Not part of a healthy gay experience.
— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) April 27, 2021
We’d like to reiterate what we said yesterday when praised Johnson for his reporting. He does good work and has had to overcome many obstacles to get to where he is today. But his social media game is, um, a bit bewildering.
Chris, if you’re reading, and we think you might be, we’d still love to chat with you about all this. Give us a [email protected]!
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
ChrisGMN
This whole thing is stupid. There are more important things to worry about in the world right now – like Hawley’s actual influence. What a dumb, superficial article.
Cam
Hi Chris Johnson, you may want to get a stealthier screename if you’re going to come on and defend yourself “Anonymously”.
Catholicslutbox
I don’t see how this is any different that graham pining after that 25 year old sexual predator.
KM201
Girl go take a seat with Chadwick Moore and Glenn Greenwald. No self respecting gay person thinks Josh Hawley and his Michael Jackson esque botched nose job is hot. He looks like a gremlin and his body isn’t even all that. More importantly, the dude is evil and tried to assist a wannabe dictator in staging a coup. Use your brain, not your dick you pathetic queen.
Dymension
Thank you.
jcool
hey ChrisGMN
i discovered this new thing. if i find an article that seems dumb or superficial, i don’t click on it. and i certainly never comment on it. that would be a waste of my time
Mostlikelytobedownvoted
Someone needs to talk to his doctor about adjusting their prescription to meth. Lord have mercy on this tone deaf queen.
Donston
I wasn’t even mad about the initial Tweet. It was corny. But whatever. However, that was a lame ass response to the criticism. Talk about painting broadly. In so many words he was pretty much saying most “gay” dudes prefer “straight” guys and they fetishize homophobia. Therefore, tweeting how hot you think a homophobe is, someone who constantly votes for anti-“queer” legislation, is just being honest, even if you are supposed to be responsible, mature reporter and journalist.
This is part of the reason I’m kinda over identity politics and all this “lgbtq” stuff and partly why I prefer to focus on the individualism of sexuality, gender, the orientation spectrum, sociological circumstances, ego, psychology, ethics. Social media nonsense has done a lot of damage in many regards. One of those things is that we are constantly dealing with people using their “queerness” as an excuse for everything and so they can detach from accountability. His response was merely to throw all “gays” under the bus in order to cover up his shit. (But are we supposed to act like Queerty and Graham don’t contribute)?
aibben
The word he’s looking for is creepy not homophobic. And FWIW would it have been acceptable to sexualize a female senator like this?
Cam
Except for the fact that the majority of people criticizing him were LGBTQ.
So no, all this response shows is that he didn’t have a legitimate response.
Fahd
Still convinced there’s some sort of addiction issue going on here; the doubling-down offers further support for that hypothesis. Is the “82” his birth year? If so, he’s nearly 40 – makes it even worse; pathetic to consider Hawley, who is a skinny, craven, homophobic, traitor, a sex-object. No judgement, but I think Chris needs help, and his employer needs to become proactive. Where’s the Blade in this? Why doesn’t Queerty contact them for comment at this point?
Wicked Dickie
“…Isn’t it part of the gay experience to pine after men who will never return those feelings, even ones who would vote against your rights?”…” Gentlemen, twinks, daddys, I present to you, your white gay. As long as the man is white and muscular, even if he is a bigot, or homophobe, some white gays will pine after him. And I have no idea what this Sen. Hawley looks like, and I have no interest in looking at him. But go off, Chris.
Donston
I don’t know if this is a thing we should be bringing race into. Plenty of black “queers” lust after terrible men. A decent amount of women don’t care how misogynistic or hateful a man is if he’s good-looking and/or charming and/or has money. And there are many who purposely seek out rather hateful and bigoted people. It gets them off. It’s all something worth talking about in general. But a lot of “gay media” and media at large don’t want to go there.
The fact that a reporter and journalist even felt the need to be thirsty over a politician on Twitter makes him comes off unprofessional and dingbat-like, but it’s pretty much whatever. The fact that it was towards a politician who is known for being “anti-gay” is troublesome. The fact that he defended it with an “it’s just a ‘gay’ thing” is just stupid and problematic. Then we have sites like Queerty and much of the media that puts extra focus on conventionally good-looking bigots for clicks.
Essie
I was kind of appalled at the first tweet but this double-down situation makes me sad for him. He’s going to be embarrassed when he sobers up.
Manrico Jimenez
I’m on his side. Sorry not sorry for thirsting over Josh Hawley. We think he’s hot, get over it! Doesn’t mean we’re going to support his agenda. Let’s move on.
KM201
Have some standards, gurl.
Donston
It’s not about whether you find someone “hot” or not. It’s about being a reporter and journalist and Tweeting about thinking an anti-gay politician is “hot”. That’s a very specific situation. While even if you’re not bothered by that (I really wasn’t), trying to defend that Tweet with pretty much saying “most ‘gays’ want ‘straight’ guys and ‘bigots” is just lame and problematic. Say that you want “straight” guys and you lust after bigots. Leave all the other “gays” out of it.
Folks are constantly trying to snuff out context and nuances and are willing to broad-stroke people and situations in order to avoid a real conversation. That tactic is tired as hell. If you simply don’t care then just say you don’t care. Don’t try to gaslight people.
ShiningSex
IF YOU’RE ON HER SIDE, THEN YOU’RE A BIGGER IDIOT BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHY IT’S JUST STUPID. SIT DOWN YOU MORON.
Thad
So maybe it’s OK to like the body but not the brain in it?
There are a few men I might fall for after brain transplants.
Kangol2
Josh Hawley also could use a new soul. His current one is buried somewhere in the deep white of Antarctica!
KM201
The doubling down on this is hysterical. As I said in the previous article, Chris needs to go join Chadwick Moore and Glenn Greenwald over at Fox because no self respecting gay person stans for this fascist. He’s not hot, not even as a butter face.
Dymension
Gurl, you need to get a life with your preachy ass self
Wolfwalk
Nothing homophobic about critizing Johnson. And it’s hardly the “gay experience” to pine after those who can’t return the feelings. Straight people do constantly. What is weird is that a gay man would seemingly lust after a despicable homophobic POS like Hawley (I live in Kansas City, MO, and have tracked the seditionist/insurrectionist/hypocrite for years and my opinion is shared by many who live here.) Of course, you have Ms Lindsey lusting after trash, too, so I guess there’s no accounting for taste.
Brewster69
What is the big deal here? A gay reporter tweets that a US senator is good looking. Had to google the senator to see who this person is. He is a handsome man. Do I agree with his politics? No. Do I agree with his stance on gay rights? No. Would I do him? In a New York minute. Will it ever happen? Don’t think so but one could always hope. People have always lusted after other people whether they were public figures or some stranger they saw on the street. Every day during my walks I see handsome young men jogging, cycling, etc and I think “OOH Baby! Would love to see you naked!” What’s wrong with that? The day a good looking guy stops being appealing to me is the day I die. Now on the other hand if Mr Johnson was lusting after Moscow Mitch or Lindsay Graham, I’d have to say that he has some serious issues.
Dymension
Miss KM201, go get a life.
KM201
Get some standards. Hawley is fascist trash and a fug. Not hot.
Den
There are an awful lot of very stupid people here, referencing that whole “white gay” thing. Get over yourselves.
There is nothing at all in the offending post that is racially based. The comment was simply foolish and odd. There is no sane reason to assume that gay people of color necessarily are free of maladapted fetishes, poor judgement, or have an intrinsically better analysis of others’ behavior.
People are people: foibles, neuroses, bad habits, self absorption cross all lines be they racial, cultural or sexual. Although I cannot possibly imagine it, had it been a black gay man complimenting Ben Carson on his looks or body would it be any less ridiculous? And would it be homophobic or simply gross? What about the regular posts of images of that hetero/white/ real estate investor in Dubai or other non-allies both black and white posted as “thirst traps” here?
It’s not homophobia.
It’s not “white gayness.”
It is simply stupidity… in this case on the part of both the reporter, and those who level bizarre criticism and “analysis”.
barryaksarben
There are alot of gay men who still equate straight with masculine which it is not> I am a proud queer and am only attracted to other gay men as They are so much more likely to be self aware about their sexuality which makes for the BEST sex. Two men who dont have to shame the other or make them feel less than is so much more hot. I always say if anyone is going to lay back and demand to be blown it will be me in role playing and then I will return the favor, Lusting after horrible homophobe guys is self hatred at its worst
Donston
For guys who are obsessed with “straight dudes” it’s often not really about masculinity. They see “straight”/overall hetero-leaning/closeted guys as privileged and aspirational and admire their ability to “fit in” and sometimes thrive in the masses. They want to attach themselves to that in whatever way. Sometimes they contend with so much internalized homophobia and “gay” inferiority complexes that they can’t truly lust after, feel affection for, want love from a guy who’s unabashedly into their sex all the way. Sometimes it’s about gender dimensions and fluidity and wanting to feel like a girl hooking up with “straight” dudes. Sometimes they get off on watching hetero sex and indulging bi behaviors and feel “straight” men are the best way to indulge that. Sometimes it’s just a fetish and paraphilia. Sometimes it’s just about thinking the guy is indeed “hot”. There’s a bunch of reasons why the whole “straight guy” obsession is a thing for a percentage of “queers”.
The issue here isn’t really about lusting after a “straight” guy. It’s about being a “gay” journalist and reporter feeling the need to Tweet to the world that you think an anti-gay politician is “hot”. It would have been tacky even if the politician was Liberal or gay-identifying. But worse, it’s stupidly throwing all “gays” under the bus by pretty much claiming most “gays” want “straight” dudes and get off on bigots. Of course, many people are pretending that they don’t get any of that, or they’re at least are being honest and saying they don’t care. Many folks are willing to dismiss things or not acknowledge a lot of shit because of who they want to fvck or what turns them on.
Mr. Stadnick
This is one of the stupidest “debates” I have seen on this site and that is saying a lot.
dhmonarch89
when I saw the original story-‘ gay reporter says something…’ I thought- Jeez, this is getting out of hand. Can’t people just make nonsense comments without it becoming WW3?! We’ve all had guilty pleasure moments over someone idiotic or awful, etc. One more reason to hate absolutely EVERYTHING about the world we live in today!
ShiningSex
that queen is a f*cking idiot. He needs to go away with his desires for racist men and so do others that agree with her.
jsmu
NOOOOOPE. This so-called ‘reporter’ is a KLUELESS KUNT from Hades. Vapid, shallow, beeyotchy, and imbecilic!
strap2900
Oh please, you all would be on him in a minute, hypocrites. You might abhor his politics but you’d love that a**.