Well, this is awkward.
Earlier this week, Tennessee state Rep. Bill Sanderson announced his immediate resignation from office amid allegations he’s been maintaining a secret Grindr profile.
The political blog The Dog and Pony Show accused the 59-year-old lawmaker of soliciting sex with men, some of whom were up to 40 years younger than him, throughout his tenure in office.
That wouldn’t be such a big deal except for the fact that, while he was doing so, he also supported nearly ever anti-LGBT bill that made its way to the House floor.
How about we take this to the next level?
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In 2011, Sanderson voted to ban cities from adopting anti-discrimination ordinances protecting LGBTQ people and nullified one already in place in Nashville.
In 2015, he signed on to a resolution denouncing the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality.
And in 2016, he voted in favor of allowing licensed therapists to turn away LGBTQ clients on religious grounds.
For his part, Sanderson has denied ever being on Grindr and claims leaked screenshots of sexts between him and other men are fake. He also says his reasons for resigning are “personal” and have nothing to do with this sex scandal.
But there’s another layer to this story that hasn’t been as widely reported.
As it turns out that, Sanderson has a gay son.
The Dog and Pony Show initially reported that Sanderson has “a gay son with a longterm partner.”
According to the son’s Facebook profile, he lives in Los Angeles and works at the Ace Hotel.
His Instagram page is mostly shirtless photos of himself with other shirtless guys, pool pics, bedroom selfies, pictures at gay bars, and even a photo with Sam Smith.
Now, obviously, Sanderson’s son is in no way responsible for his father’s actions or homophobic beliefs. But it does add a layer of awkwardness to the situation. Because even if Sanderson is telling the truth when he says he’s never had a Grindr profile, he’s still a total a-hole for voting against his own son’s rights.
We can’t imagine what dinner at the Sanderson house must be like.
Related: 8 antigay politicians whose careers were ruined by sext scandals
snuggles65
The son is what 30 years old, longtime partner ??? of what 6 months ??? lol. Try 15 years with the same person & get back to me. Ciao
Juanjo
So you just make some nonsense up and then post an attack on someone you don’t know? Who pissed in your breakfast cereal when you were young?
Vince
So that’s the only thing that concerns you huh? I guess some people just love being dicks. Ciao:-)
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Oh look a troll slithered out from under it’s rock!!
I have a friend who met his now Husband at summer camp when they were 16. They have been together for 28 years now. So at 30 they had clocked in 14 years. Did that qualify in your narrow askhole definition of a LTR???
Not sure there is usually a line to “snuggles” with you….
Birdhouse
By the time I was 30 my partner and I had been together for five years. We’ll have been together for 36 years this September. Just because you’re unable to have a long term commitment doesn’t mean that holds true for everyone.
swellster
you are a vacuous projecting douche nozzle
geb1966
Hey Mr. Superiority Complex,
A simple math class would tell you that just because someone is only 30 years old doesn’t mean that couldn’t have been together since high school, thus making their relationship almost as long as yours.
rbernard
WTF Troll –
We are not living in the 1960s anymore, so quit being so negative and spreading around irresponsible right wing myths you got from a hate group.
Here is my truth – by the time I was 30 years of age, my lover and I had been happily together for a total of 9 years. We are now we are legally married and have been living together continuously for a total 41 years.
We still are very much in love and are inseparable.
I know a lot of other couples with similar stories.
djmcgamester
How would you even know how long they’ve been together? Maybe it was 15 years? Even if it was only five, does it count less? If a straight couple were married for two years no one would be dismissive about it.
Personally, I wouldn’t have dragged the son into it in any way. It sucks what kind of person his father is. Do we need to put him in any kind of spotlight? Let the guy live his life with at least a modicum of privacy rather than calling him “another layer”.
ConnorBryant1658
The son is what 30 years old, longtime partner….- I have nothing to add But i am here not only to discuss this article but I AM LOOKING for NEW Soulmate. My whatsapp number is 17732425635 . Drop me some lines nly if you are single and really miss for love and pleasure..
LukeHill1389
The son is what 30 years old, longtime partner….- Real truth But i am here not only to discuss this article but I AM LOOKING for NEW boyfriend. My whatsapp number is 17732425635 . Drop me a line nly if you are sngle and looking for love and pleasure..
Vince
I’d like to know what kind of relationship they have. The dad’s got a lot of skeletons in the closet is all I’ll say.
TomG
Or maybe God is trying to teach this so-called Christian, who happens to be a pastor something about love and acceptance and NOT throwing the 1st stone or judging lest ye be judged.
Wicked Dickie
“…His Instagram page is mostly shirtless photos of himself with other shirtless guys, pool pics, bedroom selfies, pictures at gay bars…” So he’s a “it’s a preference” gay?
Brian
I’m sure there’s a picture of him with a black drag queen in there somewhere to show that he’s not racist.
tennman
This has been a well-known ‘secret’ for many years. His first wife caught him with a man and then he quickly remarried so he could have a beard. I have had conversations with him myself. This man was caught sitting in the parking lot of my place of employment. He was on the verge of becoming a stalker. Glad his ugly ‘secrets’ have been exposed.
Dog Flem
Tell me more
Kangol2
Thank you for the sips of truth tea, @tennman. As the prior article noted, this creep has been pursuing young men for a while, so I bet there’s a number of people who’ve have similar encounters to yours with Bill Sanderson. I hope they all come forward so that he can’t keep propagating his obvious lies.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
How I abhor smcubag like him….to continuously vote and support bigotry and discrimination against a minority you belong to…what a vile pig he truly is….
pharaon.em.joe
Very well said.
UlfRaynor
Perfect summation of all gay Republicans.
batesmotel
So basically every politician that has signed an anti-gay bill tends to end up being gay. Interesting trend that continuously pops up.
Kangol2
The majority who sign anti-gay legislation are straight, but a significant minority probably are closeted gay/bi people, especially gay/bi men. Look at the current GOP caucus in Congress. Some anti-gay fanatics like Louis Gohmert are probably as straight as a sequoia trunk but others who’ve for anti-gay legislation, like Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, John Barrasso, Tom Cotton, etc., aren’t the butchest in that bunch.
jsteinbee
May he will just come as gay then and be done I’m happy for his son we have been there one way or mother and we have done stuff that we might regret later and I would be upset if someone outed me and I away though what man does in his home or cellphone is his business and all people shouldn’t judge him of what he did all I’m saying is look at own house befor you pass judgement on a others yes he did all those thing does he regret what he did who know it not what do in the past that I carry about it what in the future that all I care about so lay off for little bit if he does what he did in past the you can go after him
tennman
When he gets married in order to have a ‘beard’ for political reasons….there is an issue. Don’t use another person in order to promote your career. He has wasted 7 years of his second wife’s life and countless years of his first wife. If you want to date and hook up with people at least be single and not be a cheater
Brian
Is anyone shocked that the only post here defending him is functionally illiterate?
pharaon.em.joe
The hypocrisy has no limits.
jerjn
“I’ll take the son for $25, Alex.”
Any. Time.
Bytemenow
Bill Sanderson is a total dirt bag. His son is a total babe. I’m happy to see all of these hypocritical a&&sholes get caught, outed, and lose their careers. They set us back decades.
Invader7
Another trumpski hypocrite loser POS.. There’s a special 7th circle of HELL for predators like this LOSER !!!
Kangol2
I do wonder if his son ever said to him, Dad, would you stop voting for anti-gay legislation because it’s oppressive to people like me–your son? If he did, what did Bill Sanderson say? Did he say anything? Did he go quote Leviticus or some nonsense like that? Did he call it a “preference” or “lifestyle” blah blah? I mean, how can he look himself in the mirror every day? Or does he see a monster staring back at himself?
Aires the Ram
His son probably got the hell out of Dodge just as soon as he could post high school/college, and never looked back. So many did after WWII, and it still goes on today. Not every young homosexual guy lives in New York or Los Angeles.
paul dorian lord fredine
adds a new meaning to ‘father-son bonding’. maybe he could say he was just doing ‘research’.
nm4047
gays (in politics) have always been their own worst enemies, Hoover in the FBI role, Jim Baker just to start, the list goes on.
lovethyneighbor
Well, if I didn’t have a Grindr profile, and I was straight, I wouldn’t have resigned my position. To be honest, I could care less if the older Sanderson is gay or not. I have come to expect hypocrisy of the highest levels when it comes to the GOP party. As for his son, I am glad that he is happily committed in a long-term relationship. By the numbers of what someone said, I figured the younger Sanderson would have to be 44 to be 28 years in on a relationship starting at age 16, and the father is only 59 — did his parents have him at the ages of 15?
It’s unfortunate when politicians have LGBTQIA+ children and perform self-deprecating acts that affect their children or make them targets of hate crimes. At some point, you have to remember, you brought your child into the world and you have a responsibility to ALWAYS put them first and keep them safe.
To the guy using old troll to describe men in their 50s, you too will be there one day. To me, this is a derogatory term as insulting as calling all of our young people “snowflakes.” The problem we have in contemporary society is that there is a lack of respect among minority groups. Truthfully, we either all stand together to fight the oppression facing not only the LGBTQIA+ community or we choose to be divided so we can fall. Perhaps, before referring to the older generation as old trolls, you might want to thank them for fighting the good fight so you could be free to have marriage equality and other rights. Those that came before you paved the way, and it would be nice if you respected the people, who made it happen.
Peace and Blessings to all.
yah_sure_youbetcha
A 50 year old isn’t an old troll. I turn 50 next year and am shocked and delighted to have lived through what I lived through. Anyone who doesn’t acknowledge the aids bloodbath and celebrate those who survived, regardless of their status, is a horrible person.
I also understand how family dynamics can be painful, especially in a situation like this one. I’m pulling for the son, and wish him peace and courage as he makes some hard decisions that have little to do with strangers on the internet.
May the father lose his position of influence over others, and spend the rest of his life making amends.
michel_banen
The only ‘fact’ proven here is -again- that it appears to be true that the most anti-gay people are often secretly gay themselves…. As if they need to ‘prove’ how heterosexual’ they are by being anti-gay. Those people have and will always exist. Another one exposed, thousands more to go….
GymMan456
This problem seems to will endure. Cause he will never be gay in his own eyes.
He defines himself straight as so many other bisexuals do. And that label covers their choice of life, to have wife and kids and “nothing ” more. Because lovers, whether they be male or female shall be a secret, to not interfere with family life.
We need a bisexual revolution ++ before this changes.
Also, the christian culture runs deep in political circles, I bet defamation of LGBTQ is a way to show you are on the team, that you are morally respective, defendant of family blah blah. Secret bisexuals will be tempted to flag wrong to get on with political networking.
Are we gays doing anything for the bisexuals ? Apart of complaining that they don’t do as we do?