Rep. Denver Riggleman of Virginia appears to be at war with his own party after his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives decided he’s not homophobic enough for them.
It all started when Riggleman agreed to officiate a gay wedding over the weekend.
According to the Washington Post, the couple volunteered from his campaign a while back and eventually became friends with him. So they asked Riggleman to preside over their wedding on Sunday.
NBD, right?
How about we take this to the next level?
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Wrong!
Apparently, Riggleman’s colleagues didn’t like this so they held an emergency meeting to discuss reprimanding him.
During a closed session on Saturday, the colleagues discussed censuring the 49-year-old lawmaker for “failing to uphold the Republican Party platform” by officiating the wedding.
Committee member Wendell Johnson introduced a motion to express formal disapproval of Riggleman’s actions.
Ultimately, however, only four people voted in favor and so the motion went nowhere, rendering the entire exercise a complete waste of time that will no doubt cause tension within the party going forward.
In an interview, Riggleman said: “I’m a Congressman. I represent everyone, and I’ll tell you this, really love is love, if you’re gonna talk about it that way, so that’s what I did, and I was just so proud that I was able to that, and that was my first wedding by the way.”
Josh in OR
But wait…I thought the Republican Party wasn’t homophobic?! Are we sure he isn’t actually a Demoncrat? I keep being told that it’s them who hate gay people, women, and people of color! I’m SO CONFUSED…!
/s
LukeHill1389
But wait…I thought the Republican Party wasn….- I have nothing to add But i am here not only to discuss this article but I AM LOOKING for NEW boyfriend. My whatsapp number is 17732425635 . Drop me some lines nly if you are sngle and looking for love and pleasure..
Kangol2
Don’t you mean you thought the Republican party was homophobic? Or are you just trying to make a snarky point but got things mixed up?
Kangol2
Look, it’s very c ommendable that he respects his two friends and former campaign volunteers, just as it’s great that despite the Virginia House GOP’s attempts to censure him, the effort failed. My questions with people like Denver Riggleman are: does your respect for and courtesy to LGBTQ people extend beyond people you know? Is it only for people you’re close to, or do you not speak up and out against homophobia and anti-gay legislation if it doesn’t directly affect you or someone you know? I get defending your loved ones, but if you only are concerned with issues if they directly affect you, it’s a problem, because what about all the other people out there being oppressed by the anti-gay legislation the GOP and its evangelical right-wing base are constantly pushing?
Dwight
Ah, yes, the same Denver Riggleman who authored a book on Bigfoot erotica.
HenryCameron
The real headline should be District Republican Committee Supports Congressman Officiating Gay Wedding. This article is a horribly ignorant excuse for journalism and a disservice to Queerty readers. The meeting was not of Rep. Riggleman’s House colleagues. It was the 5th District Republican Congressional Committee. The author should really learn the difference as they are two totally different bodies. More than 2 dozen people attended the meeting, Only 4 supported a motion that would even have allowed the censure motion to come up for a vote, so, as the article does state, it went nowhere. Of course, that fact doesn’t really feed the desired narrative, so we get a fake headline and a half-truth article for those who actually read beyond the headline.
truthseeker
^ This
The headline is very misleading. Most people see the headline and move on; even though this headline is the complete opposite of the actual story
TomG
Interesting how the right wing so-called Christians of the GOP condemn Gays etc, yet they can’t even follow their own tenet of “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And it’s my understanding that Jesus NEVER said anything about homosexuality and hung around with a group of mostly men. By the way, the Homophobes always seems to revert to the OLD TESTAMENT on this yet (When they shouldn’t) they disregard things about cheating on spouses, etc.