A Republican congressman is apologizing for a social media post on his X account that attempted to provoke the LGBTQ community during Pride Month by declaring that “homosexuality has no place in America.”
The statement, posted to the official X account of U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), echoes anti-LGBTQ rhetoric embraced by some of the world’s most theocratic or authoritarian regimes, including Iran, Ghana, Uganda, and Russia. In those countries, LGBTQ identity and same-sex relationships are often criminalized or heavily stigmatized, with some governments imposing lengthy prison sentences, harsh fines, corporal punishment, or even the death penalty.
The post also wished Ogles’ followers a “Happy Nuclear Family Month,” referencing a recent designation adopted by Tennessee lawmakers that critics have characterized as an attempt to troll the LGBTQ community during Pride Month while promoting “traditional” heterosexual families and conservative social values.
Ogles later deleted the post, which he blamed on a staffer, according to Newsweek.
“Earlier today while working on the farm, my phone began going crazy because of a post made by a member of my comms team,” Ogles wrote. “The post was stupid, hurtful and a complete distraction from my America First focus. The employee has been reprimanded.”
The post drew backlash from many who saw it, including a number of Republicans, despite an ongoing trend of conservatives becoming more hostile toward same-sex marriage, adoption, and LGBTQ visibility.
“I have the same civil rights as anyone else in this country and I am saddened by this insane comment,” wrote former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who was expelled from Congress over ethics and fraud scandals.
“Homosexuality exists. In America. In fact Andy, you have family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and constituents who are gay and lesbian,” U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) Lawler wrote. “It doesn’t make them less than or somehow unworthy of being an American. What an absolutely idiotic statement to make.”
Even U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), known for his social conservatism, pushed back on the sentiment, telling TMZ, “Well, I think for all of recorded history that homosexuals have been part of humanity, and you know, I got to say, I’m quite libertarian by nature. I think the behavior of consenting adults is their business.”
Rob Smith, a gay conservative influencer, tagged Ogles in a post casting doubt on the congressman’s account of what happened.
“Sorry, @RepOgles, I don’t believe for a SECOND that a ‘staffer’ wrote that post,” Smith wrote. “Hating on gays does ZERO for the American people. Be an ELECTED OFFICIAL, DO YOUR JOB and stop trying to be an INFLUENCER.”
Ogles, a staunch social conservative, has become known for inflammatory social media posts, including one from March in which he asserted that Muslims “don’t belong in American society.”
The Tennessee resolution declaring June “Nuclear Family Month,” signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, defines a “nuclear family” as a household consisting of one husband, one wife, and their children — whether biological, adopted, or fostered — and describes that structure as central to society and rooted in traditional values.
The resolution is not legally binding, but serves primarily as a symbolic or “messaging” measure to implicitly communicate animus towards the LGBTQ community and disapproval of Pride Month. Several other Republican-led states, including Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, and Utah, have followed suit by designating June as a month honoring “families” or “fidelity” — a move critics argue reflects disapproval of Pride Month and LGBTQ visibility.
As reported by The Hill, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended Ogles as “a good guy” and said the congressman did the right thing by deleting the post, even as he urged lawmakers to treat one another with “dignity and respect.”
“We’re supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves, everybody,” Johnson, who is Southern Baptist, said. “We’re supposed to treat every single person with dignity and respect, whether we agree with them or not.”
William Paul, the son of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), apologized after allegedly telling U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) during a drunken confrontation at a Washington bar that he "hates Jews and hates gays."
"Last night, I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am," Paul wrote in a May 13 social media post. "I'm sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem."
The confrontation reportedly occurred late on May 12 at Tune Inn Restaurant & Bar, a popular Capitol Hill watering hole frequented by congressional staffers, lobbyists, and lawmakers.
David Green, the founder of the conservative Christian retailer Hobby Lobby, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Them Before Us, an anti-LGBTQ organization behind the Greater Than Campaign, a national effort seeking to overturn the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling.
Them Before Us, the lead organization behind the Greater Than campaign, was founded in 2018. It advocates against marriage rights for LGBTQ couples based on the presumption that being raised by same-sex parents is harmful to children.
IRS reports show that, for its first few years, Them Before Us had less than $50,000 in revenue. But after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed a national right to abortion, the group's revenue surged. In 2022, it received $200,000, growing to nearly $1 million in 2024, with founder and president Katy Faust collecting a salary of $135,000.
The owner of Portland's Darcelle XV Showplace says a historic plaque honoring the club's listing on the National Register of Historic Places was vandalized with anti-gay graffiti and what he described as "vile hate speech."
Jeremey Corvus-Peck said in a May 15 Facebook post that he discovered the vandalism while visiting the club earlier that day.
The graffiti invoked anti-LGBTQ tropes portraying gay and queer people as child "groomers" or pedophiles, mocked LGBTQ visibility, and called for violence against members of the community.
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