Randy McNally, an anti-LGBTQ politician and the lieutenant governor of Tennessee, has apologized after he was caught leaving questionable comments on an Instagrammer’s NSFW posts.
In an interview with News Channel 5 in Nashville, McNally, who has supported anti-LGBTQ legislation throughout his career, apologized to his family, friends and fellow politicians.
“I’m really, really sorry if I’ve embarrassed my family, embarrassed my friends, embarrassed any of the members of the legislature with the posts,” McNally said.
However, according to Axios, McNally spokesperson Adam Kleinheider gave a much different story in a separate statement, saying:
Trying to imply something sinister or inappropriate about a great-grandfather’s use of social media says more about the mind of the left-wing operative making the implication than it does about Randy McNally.
Does he always use the proper emoji at the proper time? Maybe not. But he enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds and orientations on social media. He has no intention of stopping.
This week, screenshots of bizarre, seemingly thirsty comments left by McNally under posts by Instagrammer Franklyn Superstar — who also appears to go by “Finn” — began to circulate on social media.
Franklyn appeared semi-nude in many of the images McNally commented on.
In one comment left under a photo of Franklyn’s butt, McNally wrote, “Finn, you can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine!” He also left a series of heart and fire emojis.
McNally simply commented with a heart emoji under a photo of Franklyn posing with their underwear pulled down low.
“Great picture, Finn! Best wishes for continued health and happiness,” he wrote under a separate photo of Franklyn posing completely nude.
McNally left the comments earlier this year, but they recently surfaced due to McNally’s history of voting against LGBTQ+ rights.
Over the past year, lawmakers across the U.S. have introduced hundreds of bills that are harmful to the LGBTQ+ community, according to The Independent.
Per the Human Rights Campaign, at least 150 bills recently introduced specifically aim to restrict the rights of transgender people.