So we already told you about Mike Yenni, the conservative politician from Louisiana who was just outed for allegedly having an affair with an anonymous 17-year-old Catholic school boy/mall food court employee. Local Louisiana news station WWL-TV broke the story last night. Well, we think–emphasis on the word think–we’ve found the guy. His name is Alex Daigle and he’s 19 now, openly gay, and attending Brown University.
Related: Married Conservative Politician Outed For Sexting Teen Boy, Kissing Him In Mall Bathroom
In an op-ed titled I was seduced by a politician published earlier this year by the blog The Tab, Daigle writes about an alleged affair he had with a married politician from Louisiana who sounds an awful lot like Mike Yenni.
Daigle, whose Facebook profile says he went to high school at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, starts out by saying that he comes from “a good, Catholic family from Louisiana, where I learned how to be both a Christian and a Southern gentleman.”
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“The summer after my high school graduation,” he writes, “I was working a minimum wage mall job when I was approached by a man who said, almost fatherly, as I was eating a cookie, ‘Caught you with your mouth full?'”
Talk about a come on!
Daigle calls the man “Kevin.” We suspect–emphasis on the word suspect–that it was likely Mike Yenni.
“Afterwards, an acquaintance told me Kevin had seen me at my graduation luncheon and wanted to get to know me,” Daigle continues. “He told me Kevin was ‘discreet,’ a casual gay term for men who are not out of the closet to family members or friends. Not only that, Kevin was married.”
Daigle goes on to say that he and “Kevin” began texting and then sexting one another.
Related: Engaged Politician Admits To Hooking Up With Guys, At Center Of Sexting Scandal
“We talked about our lives and discussed the possibility of eventually meeting to sleep together,” he says. “Once, on the phone, after telling him he should come to the mall to chat before my shift, he said that he ‘couldn’t be seen in public with other guys.’ I was confused. He clarified: he was a politician with a wife and a young child.”
According to his Twitter profile, Yenni says he is “happily married with one daughter.”
“I had seen his name on election posters in the past,” Daigle continues, “and he already held a fairly high local position. He was easily recognizable as a high profile person to thousands of people around the city.”
Indeed, Yenni was the former mayor of Kenner, the city neighboring New Orleans, and campaigning for President of Jefferson Parish at the time.
Daigle then recounts an incident the happened inside the mall bathroom that sounds almost identical to the alleged underwear exchange involving Yenni reported by WWL-TV:
“He texted me that he was at the mall’s Dillard’s, and that he saw some underwear he wanted me to wear for him,” he says. “I agreed to meet him in the employee bathroom, working through my general discomfort.”
He continues: “He passed by my counter and glanced at the back hallways of the food court. We met in the bathroom. He handed me the Dillard’s bag, which held three pairs of designer underwear, worth $75 in total. We kissed briefly.”
Related: Antigay Politician Busted For Boozing, Playing Strip Poker With Teen Boys
Daigle says he found the whole thing very “exciting.”
“I was seventeen at the time and flattered to think a married guy wanted to break vows just to be with me,” he writes.
The alleged relationship continued for about a month, and primarily involved sexting and, as Daigle puts it, “failed plans to meet and references to the underwear he’d bought me.” He says he grew frustrated with “Kevin’s” flakiness and “generally bland attitude about the gravity of the situation,” so he cut eventually off communication, blocking the old man’s number.
“Since then, he has remained active on the political scene, and I know thousands of people have voted for him under essentially false pretenses,” he writes. “Meanwhile, I know he’s been with many other boys and will continue to find more. Part of me wants to reveal his identity, but I simply don’t know what that would accomplish. I am still disgusted by his actions.”
Daigle says the whole thing has made him “wary of older men.”
“Young men are fetishized and taken advantage of, people feel the need to be secretive about their lifestyles, and, evidently, abuse can arise,” he writes. “I’ve learned my lesson, and, even if the situation is alluring, I’ll continue to steer clear of any older guys, and trust my instincts when they sense trouble.”
He now says he feels the need to “warn other young, gay men — particularly those in relatively conservative environments — to steer clear of older men, especially in clandestine, intimate situations.”
“These men abuse the immaturity and lack of experience of younger men and take advantage of the fact the younger person may be more prone to continue an inappropriate relationship despite serious discomfort.”
Still no comment from Yenni.
Related: Antigay Politician Caught In Sex Scandal Can’t Stop Talking In Circles, Refuses To Resign
Bob LaBlah
All b/s aside, Yenni is cute. Not what he did was cute but he himself is (can’t say the same for the “kid” but hey, its his life and preference). I almost feel sorry for him. If his record shows that he at least ONCE called former governor Bobby Jindal stupid, and idiot or nothing else but a colored man trying to act white and too stupid to see just what color his own rear-end is THEN I forgive him. Unfortunately I bet he didn’t.
(Queerty, why doesn’t the word didn’t not automatically correct itself like everything else?)
crowebobby
Ya, every stupid thing I did of my own free will when I was a kid was someone else’s fault too. Wish I’d know turning into a rat fink could have soothed my guilty conscience.
Stilinski26
I would do him, and you can tell this teen guy enjoyed the attention he got from him. but on the side note did Queerty asked for consent to post the picture of the teen?
joeyty
@Stilinski26: ” but on the side note did Queerty asked for consent to post the picture of the teen?” LOL. With Queerty’s great reputation for integrity….
Bryguyf69
@Stilinski26: I don’t think you need permission to link a publicly-accessible Facebook (or any social media) photo. I don’t think the news media ever asks ever asks [suspected] terrorists if they can show their photos. It’s a nice courtesy, but not necessary.
gymnofrater
I’m disappointed at the way Queerty allowed this story to be about how older men take advantage of younger men as opposed to improper behavior between a particular, closeted, married person and someone barely of age to have a relationship with. Was this the message you intended to get across? Because that’s what I heard. It also seemed to be the message this man (I was going to call him a young man, but he is legally a man who can take responsibility for his behavior) was trying to get across: that older men can’t be trusted.
From the article: “He now says he feels the need to “warn other young, gay men — particularly those in relatively conservative environments — to steer clear of older men, especially in clandestine, intimate situations.”
“These men abuse the immaturity and lack of experience of younger men and take advantage of the fact the younger person may be more prone to continue an inappropriate relationship despite serious discomfort.””
I must say that I have benefited throughout my adult life from the interactions, sexual and otherwise, I have had with men much older than me. I treasure those men and those experiences and I feel that many of them treasured me. To play into the narrative which comes form the conservative world that older gay men are standing in line only to corrupt younger men is irresponsible and a slap in the face of the many mentors and mentoring relationships which have provided the backbone and been responsible for the transmission of gay culture through the centuries. This particular situation is sad, manipulative and in many ways morally offensive, but to allow it to be read as an indictment of older gay men (when the perpetrator might not even identify as gay) is reprehensible–and immature.
Bryguyf69
Daigle seems like a very intelligent caring young man. I am disturbed, however, that he’s lumping all older men as predators and users, or that such a relationship is necessarily pathological. Had he included the adjective “closeted” or “Conservative,” I’d be more forgiving, but he seems to think that age is the main problem. That said, I am a straight male in my 20’s so I don’t actually know what goes on in the heads of gay teens or “older” gays, or the dynamics of such relationships.
joeyty
@gymnofrater: “I’m disappointed at the way Queerty allowed this story to be about..” Don’t worry about it. Queerty also said Northern Ireland was Catholic.
calpoidog
@gymnofrater: completely agree. Kid knew what he did was wrong. It’s embarrassing, and now he wants to be a “victim” rather than portrayed as the willing participant he was. Just because someone’s older, doesn’t make them the predator. As a 50 year old I’ve had 19 year olds pursue me online. I’m not into someone that could be my kid so didn’t get together with them but they were certainly the “predator” in that case.
Stilinski26
@Bryguyf69: Yeah but he may be questioned by authorities for unnecessary reasons and posting the pictures and name without consent is not right is it considering he has not confirmed it was Mike Yenni .
Mo Bro
There wouldn’t be nearly as much brouhaha about this non-affair had the politician in question been a Democrat.
gymnofrater
@Bryguyf69: When I was coming of age as a gay man, in my twenties (I waited until I was 24 to begin having sex and it was a conscious decision, not an oops) I really benefited from the mentorship and experience of older gay men (and I’m not talking about finances either). I think that as one gets older one feels the need to mentor and pass along one’s experience and wisdom. Sometimes that wisdom and experience is sexual. I just got back from Amsterdam, where at the ripe “old” age of 51 I was pursued by a young man of twenty-four who thought I was younger. I’m not. I am proud of my age and I told him how old I was. We still ended up making out, taking care not to push either one of us past the boundaries we had mutually set, and only after a good conversation about a variety of things from sex to how to strike up a conversation with an attractive guy. Older guys are not to everyone’s taste, but neither are twinks. Nevertheless there is much we can learn from each other and that includes sexually when the participants mutually decide the parameters and boundaries of their encounter and do everything with the utmost of respect and care.
Bryguyf69
@Stilinski26: I’m not sure what you’re talking about since the story is indeed about Mike Yenni. Perhaps you mean that the teen may not be Alex Daigle? First of all, Daigle wouldn’t be mistakenly questioned about Yenni if he wasn’t the teen because authorities already know who the teen was. They took his phone as evidence and the teen voluntarily reported the story to the news and authorities. In other words, there would be no mistake on the authority’s part. As for Daigle, he wrote a publicly accessible piece on being sexually victimized by a politician. The clues were all there. Are you saying that the media — especially informal media like Queerty — shouldn’t speculate? More importantly, Queerty clearly said that it was still speculation and not fact.
Bryguyf69
@Mo Bro</a wrote: "There wouldn’t be nearly as much brouhaha about this non-affair had the politician in question been a Democrat."
===
And that's expected and justified since the element of hypocrisy is missing. It's the GOP who claims to be the party of morality and "family values." And iit's the GOP that condemns others for sexual "immorality." Not the Democrats. Had Yenni been a Democrat who preached Conservative values, you can bet that the same attention and condemnation would apply.
Bryguyf69
@Stilinski26: FYI, Queerty knows the teen’s identity because he contacted Queerty. Read the follow up story. He told Queerty, “I’m not doing any further correspondence with media outlets for the time being.” Unless Queerty retracts this blog, we can assume that it is indeed Al;ex Daigle.
https://www.queerty.com/mike-yenni-responds-whole-sexting-teen-boy-scandal-promptly-goes-hiding-20160930
Josh in OR
@Mo Bro: you mean like how no one cares that Anthony Weiner seated an underage teen? I mean, the Democrats sure did look the other way there…if by ‘look the other way’ you mean ‘piled on him for his unacceptable, pathological behavior’…
The difference is that when a Dem gets caught like this, they are roundly drubbed and lose their position of power. Repugs deny like mad, blame the victims, then blame ‘sin’ and ask their gullible sheep to ‘forgive them’ for their ‘mistake’…while all the while continuing to behave reprehensible behind their thin veneer of respectability granted by pretending to be pious.
Josh in OR
@Josh in OR: seated = sexted
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Poor victim
Josh447
I’m glad to see that this lame butthurt kid’s faux agenda is backfiring in the comments here regarding older men / younger guys. He obviously couldn’t hear the word “no” and is now ruining someone’s life out of vengence. Grow up a**hole, your’re not the only one whose gotten hurt in romance. It’s not your first time and won’t be your last. Stop blaming others bc of your inability to cope with life. You should thank him for your first curve ball so you can learn how to catch them without breaking a nail and pulling out a shotgun. What a despicable wuss.
Kangol
@Josh in OR: Yep. Weiner’s being investigated both by Child Services in NYC and the FBI. He’s been roundly trashed.
This right-wing ephebophile Yenni sounds like a garden variety closeted “conservative” hypocrite who refuses to take responsibility. A 40-year-old should be mature enough not to go trawling around for 17 year olds, let alone a 40-year-old right-wing Republican Roman Catholic who promotes “family values.”
Mo Bro
@Josh in OR:
It’s almost an impossible task debating any issue via a message board like this one, but your statement, “The difference is that when a Dem gets caught like this, they are roundly drubbed and lose their position of power,” is laughably false. To wit:
Anthony Weiner
Barney Frank
Ted Kennedy
Gerry Studds
Gary Hart
Eric Massa
David Wu
John Edwards
and some guy named Bill Clinton, who diddled an intern in the oval office and managed to remain popular as ever with his constituents.
Not that Republicans—er, I’m sorry, ReTHUGlicans—aren’t guilty of the same, but don’t be so obtuse as to claim one party is contrite while the other is unapologetic.
Brian
It takes two to tango. Both parties need to take responsibility.
Chris
In Louisiana (though not many other places in the U.S.), you’re an adult when you’re 17. Near as I can tell, the politician didn’t do anything illegal.
Was what did wrong or immoral? Depends on your personal morals; and as many people here note: many young gay men go through a period where they actually seek out the company and advice of older gay men.
Is the politician a hypocrite? Of course. The same way that all men who cheat on their partners are hypocrites.
Honestly, unless there’s evidence that the politician in question actually acted against the interests of LGBT… people, I see no reason for outing him. This looks more and more like a case of buyer’s remorse with a heaping side order of old-time-religion and pretend morals on the teen’s part. That the media are willing to give him a soap box from which to preach and to act like a Greek chorus, tsk-tsking at every new revelation of his is because that’s how they sell the news.
Truth-is-Truthy
I think there’s a much bigger problem than “older guys” using “younger guys” and that is that there are so many who are new adults (17-21) who consider anybody more than two or three years older than them to be an “older guy”. When did that nonsense start? I’m only 28 and have had guys who were 23 tell me I was “too old”. WTF? As for the rest of this story … I’m confused … what was the “innappropriate” part? Mike was over the age of consent, he was never forced into doing something he didn’t want to do, in fact he found it exciting. The only thing I find wrong is that the so-called “older guy” was so closeted that he didn’t want to be seen even talking with another guy. If the younger dude was, say, 13, then we have a different story and that would be not just illegal but gross as hell. But 17? Come on.
Truth-is-Truthy
@Truth-is-Truthy: Meant to say “Alex”, not “Mike”. Oh, and I forgot to mention just when is sexting and a single brief kiss considered “hooking up”?
batesnight
@Mo Bro: Very true, but Democrats have grown more hypocritical as time has moved on. They’re also the ones that created separation through labels, while preaching that there shouldn’t be separation. That move didn’t exactly work to their benefit.
Poloboy50
What Yenni did was just plan stupid,stupid,stupid. One of those WTF were you thinking. A 40 yr old politician coming on to a 17yr old.
And the kid…well he’s nothing more than a RAT. It happened when he was 17 and than at 19 decides to go to a local radio station; why ?
Karma is a bitch.
Erma Ferkingerd
I clicked the link and started reading his article/blogpost. It sounds a bit antigay:
“I’m more aware of how problematic the social indecency of being gay is.”
His article is also peppered with posturing statements. Are you sure this isn’t for some creative writing class?
He certainly sounds educated, considering he went to a private catholic high school and got into Brown University. He was already dating college guys from his junior year, so he had some experience.
scotshot
@Mo Bro:
Most of the GOTP members who have been caught in a M2M sex scandal are many times outspoken antigay conservatives who will vote on any bill that is antigay. The hypocrisy they spew makes it more newsworthy. That said, there is a good deal of publicity and celebration on the alt right when the same thing happens to a Democrat – see Breitbart.
See also: Reverends, Duggars, etc.
scotshot
@Erma Ferkingerd: The more I read the more it looked like his comments were scripted, he may have received some underwear from the guy and had a couple of stolen kisses, for that he ruined the guy’s career?
Shouldn’t he have saved the underwear and the sexts.
mikey96
Damn I matched with that guy(Alex) on Tinder.