One week after Mike Yenni, a local conservative politician from Louisiana, was outed for sexting with a 17-year-old boy, he is finally breaking his silence.
Yenni has been keeping a low profile since the scandal erupted. Until last night, that is, when he aired a commercial during the 10 p.m. newscasts on several local TV stations addressing the story.
Related: Married Conservative Politician Outed For Sexting Teen Boy, Kissing Him In Mall Bathroom
In the commercial, Yenni apologizes for his actions and assures people he never “abused or misused my powers as a public official.” He stops just short of resigning from his post at Jefferson Parish President or coming out as gay or bisexual.
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“Last summer I was old enough to know better, but I guess I was still young enough to do something stupid,” 40-year-old Yenni says. “I chose to send improper texts to a young man.”
By “improper,” of course, he means sexting with a 17-year-old Catholic school boy who he met at a senior graduation luncheon and asking the youth to take pictures of himself modeling in a pair of $75 designer underpants.
Related: Internet Responds In All Sorts Of Ways To Married Conservative Mike Yenni’s Boy Trouble
In the video, Yenni says he would not go into details about the texts out of respect for the privacy of “all parties.”
“I made a bad decision,” he continues. “I regret my actions. I apologize to the families involved, and anyone who I embarrassed, especially my own family and the people of Jefferson.”
He goes on to say he will work extra hard “every day to prove that good people can rise from a bad decision.”
Related: Did Catholic School Where Mike Yenni Met Teen Boyfriend Know About His Lust For Underagers?
“I’m certainly not afraid of the future,” Yenni promises, “because I’m smart enough to never repeat the past.”
See Yenni’s response below…
Kieru
The decision he made was stupid; his sexual orientation is rather irrelevant to the mistake itself. An apology of some sort was certainly necessary, especially given his status as a politician.
I’m not sure why the headline chooses to focus on his not disclosing his sexual orientation. He’s certainly under no obligation to do so; we as citizens are entitled to know that he recognizes the severity of his mistake and that’s about it. We are not entitled to know how these actions correlate to any label by which he identifies.
Lindoro Almaviva
@Kieru: while on the surface your statement might seem beyond reproach, I think it bears close scrutiny.
What is Yenni’s public record on LGBT Issues? As a conservative, I know is easy to presume he is hostile, so rather than just assume the worst, I will give the benefit of the doubt. The reason why I ask is because if his record is hostile to the LGBT community, then the tone of the article and his refusal to come out is important to the situation. It is beyond the pale that a politician would be speaking and voting against a community of people while at the same time dipping his toes in the pool and taking advantage of the hard-fought and earned rights and visibility of said community. If his record is hostile to the LGBT Community, then he needs to be unmasked like a hypocrite and his picture plastered in every gay bar with a sign that reads “This politician votes against you while at the same time cruising you. DO NOT sleep with him” Hypocrisy needs to me unmasked, revealed and hung on the sun like a pair of newly washed bed sheets.
If his record to the LGBT community is positive, or even neutral, I would understand your call for space and respect for his choices. Otherwise, he needs to be exposed and held accountable for all the times he spoke and voted against the very community that has been sucking his dick while his wife is away.
DDstar1me
This is sad. I know I shouldn’t, but, I feel bad for him. He isn’t living his truth. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to live your life in such a lie. I wish him the best. I hope one day he can live his life out and proud.
Xzamilloh
Oh, he ain’t getting re-elected. Enjoy your last run, buddy.
joeyty
When will the queerty “journalists” come out ?
rand503
By leaving out all the sordid details, it only drives people to google it to get the real facts. Takes about 30 seconds.
rand503
By leaving out all the sordid details, it only drives people to google it to get the real facts. Takes about 30 seconds.
@Lindoro Almaviva: He has no record of voting on LGBT issues. But he is a member of the GOP, which is on record as moving lock step to deny us our basic rights. By virtue of being a member, he supports what they do. If there ever is a vote, it is highly unlikely he will vote against his own party line, especially when everyone else does.
Billy Budd
Since when being gay is a “bad decision”? Also, working extra HARD will bring him trouble because working with a boner all the time is even worse than chasing 17 year olds.
Atomicrob
Another married closet queen takes an inappropriate step to act out his true sexuality and then bullshits everyone that it was some lapse in judgement. Straight men don’t text teenage boys to pose for them in underwear. He is obviously under psychological pressure to act out his true sexuality, but behaves like a teenager himself in expressing it. Those most vociferously homophobic harbor subconscious — or in this case, conscious — unrequited same sex attractions. Stop voting to deny my community our rights as you hypocritically act out your fantasies at the expense of others lives.
Kieru
@Lindoro Almaviva: My argument was that we are not entitled to any disclosure of how Yenni identifies. That he solicited a minor who is also male is already a matter of public knowledge. We are entitled to that because those are facts related to the events.
Yenni’s orientation is inconsequential to the events. His actions would be inappropriate whether he identified as heterosexual, homosexual, or anything else on the spectrum of sexual orientation. So again I will say: we are not entitled to any disclosure by Yenni as to how he identifies. How well or poorly he treats the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t change that.
Brian
I’m glad that he didn’t submit to identity politics.
BillSam
@Kieru: With all due respect, you just don’t get it. I think most of us are sick of these closeted politicians who do nothing for LGBT rights while wanting to fiddle around in an inappropriate manner with other males, never declaring their orientation in a healthy, upfront manner. Sure, in one sense sexual orientation doesn’t matter — bad behavior is bad behavior — but aren’t you at all bothered by these guys who STILL put homosexuality in the closet and, so to speak, the pre-Stonewall darkness of the back alley (texts or no texts)? Is this man ashamed because of texts and teenagers, or simply because he has gay longings? In these days of gay marriage, I am becoming increasingly irritated with dinosaurs like him.
Brian
Yenni is very honest and apologetic. Much more so than Bill Clinton, actually.
Brian
@BillSam: Mike Yenni is not obliged to go along with identity politics. He doesn’t need to identify as straight, gay or bi.
His sexual conduct should abide by the law – that’s the only requirement. Anything else is his own business and not some activist’s to decide.
Kangol
@Lindoro Almaviva: Beautifully said.@Billy Budd: I assume he meant the “bad decision” was pursuing a teenage boy and texting him (and buying him underwear, kissing him, asking him for a 3-way, etc.) while being married to a woman. Not a good look at all.
strix1
Uhhhhh…I don’t know his history…if he speaking out (or has) against LGBT rights then I have no sympathy for him and think he deserves nothing good from this. If any of his actions were against the law considering the kids age, then he should be punished. Don’t give us a speech about how you “made a bad decision,” you knew what you were doing and you knew it was wrong and don’t be stupid to think it is not going to become public knowledge at some point.
tricky ricky
@Brian: you sound like a trump troll.
tricky ricky
@Brian: okay trump troll, here’s the deal. his conduct did not abide by the law. it’s illegal to send sexually suggestive texts to a person who is 17 even if it is legal for you to screw them from here to eternity.
oz1967
The only people I feel sorry for are his wife, but she probably knew at some point something was funky and the marriage was a sham, but the kids thats harsh, not only is their dad a liar, an adulterer but he used them as props to further is ambitions, classy and still wearing the wedding ring??? man this guy has no conscience whatsoever.
rand503
@Brian: It IS entirely our business when you are an elected official. If he were just a private citizen, I would agree with you. But he actually represents his community, and that should include any LBGTs who are part of his community. And what he does is in fact the people’s business.
KaliLA
This guy is disgusting, thoughts & actions and totally shameless by confronting to not make the “mistake” twice. It will be soon enough he would be doing the same unless he seeks some mental health help. Such toxic people in our communities are a big problem, let’s make them realize their mistakes by profiling them for their misconducts, they deserve the negative attention.
Aromaeus
He’s a public official and I’m sure many people voted for him because he cast himself as a family man with good morals. That doesn’t appear to be the case at all.
Josh447
Yup. The greek days of married with a boy on the side ended with religious psychosis. This guy isn’t anti gay and probably loves his wife. Being bi isn’t easy, on just about any level. Unless you have it figured out. Looks like he has a way to go. And so do we as an immature ‘woops-drank-the-koolaid’ religious culture.
Evji108
It sounds like he hired a damage control PR firm to salvage his career.
Now he will double down on suppressing his sexuality in order to serve his commitment to his family, church and political career. I hope he enjoys the confines of his glass closet. He’s made his bed and he’s going to sleep in it. Good luck with that, it’s your life baby boy.
Stilinski26
Yenni call me I am in my 20s so I am perfectly legal 😉 lol
nevereclipsed81
Ah, buddy, you can be forgiven, but you’re not getting elected to any public office ever again.. :-O