North Dakota Rep. Randy Boehning Outed as Gay After Voting Against Gay Rights

[TheNutcracker]

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2015/04/north_dakota_rep_randy_boehning_outed_as_gay_after_voting_against_gay_rights.php

By Ben Johnson Tue., Apr. 28 2015 at 10:30 AM

Republican North Dakota state Rep. Randy Boehning voted against a measure that would've outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation three times in the past six years.
Dustin Smith is a gay 21-year-old who has received unsolicited dick pics from Boehning, 52, on the gay dating app Grindr. Smith couldn't take Boehning's hypocrisy after the last vote against gay rights earlier this month, so he went to the press.
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"How can you discriminate against the person you're trying to pick up?" Smith told Inforum newspaper.
When he was confronted with the evidence, Boehning confirmed that he was trolling for men on Grindr through his alias, "Top man!"

"That's what gay guys do on gay sites, don't they?" Boehning, who is unmarried and says he also likes women, told Inforum. "That's how things happen on Grindr. It's a gay chat site. It's not the first thing you do on that site. That's what we do, exchange pics on the site."


Boehning says he voted against protecting gays against discrimination because that's what he thinks his south Fargo constituents want him to do. There's also a clause in the bill that protects those who are "perceived" as gay that he takes issue with.

Boehning believes his outing could be political payback. Before the vote on the anti-discrimination measure he says he was threatened with retaliation by unnamed people at the state Capitol who knew he was gay.
Regardless, Boehning says it's a relief to finally come out.

"The 1,000-pound gorilla has been lifted," he said. "I have to confront it at some point."

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At least he voted the way his constituents wanted, if that's true. Too many reps vote on their own beliefs, as to say they know what is best for us. Though he's still a hypocrite.

[hifiguy]

1. What a surprise.

[TheNutcracker]

2. Indeed. I like the part where he says he likes women too. ha ha ha

[HassleCat]

3. Vote For Me!

Elect me to Congress. I'll vote any way you want, even it goes directly against my most deeply held values and beliefs. Because I don't have any deeply held values and beliefs. I'm only here for the hors d' oeuvres and free beer. Looking forward to your vote. Thanks for coming!

[calimary]

10. Welcome to DU, HassleCat!

Glad you're here! I do have mixed feelings on this - about people outing each other. HOWEVER, in the case of some hard-line CONservative legislator who votes against gay rights, but is gay him/herself - all bets are OFF! I have NO problem with any efforts to out hypocrites like that. I think it oughta be public knowledge. WIDESPREAD public knowledge. If you're gay and you're in a position of power and influence, but you see your job as shitting on other gays, then the hell with you.

[HassleCat]

12. Gay or Not Gay?

It's been established he likes sex with men, but does that make him gay? When I hear the word "gay," I think of men I know who are attracted to other men, not just sexually, but romantically, emotionally, etc. I wonder if this guy has the capacity to be emotionally involved with another man, or if it's just physical lust. Anyway, it's a good thing he got outed, since that may give him pause next time he considers voting against gay rights.

[calimary]

14. Makes me wonder just how on earth there could be such a thing as the Log Cabin republi-CONS.

How ON EARTH could a gay organization embrace the GOP? WHY ON EARTH, for Pete's sake???? WHAT on earth does the republi-CON party have that could POSSIBLY serve, or even recognize, the gay community? The Log Cabin'ers are just kidding themselves as long as the party in general hates them, thinks they're some sort of sinful abomination, and would rather pretend they don't exist.

[geek tragedy]

4. his Grindr screen name is, I shit you not, "Top Man!" with exclamation point nt

[LuvNewcastle]

15. Only an asshole would go on Grindr

and use that name. That's just obnoxious and trashy.

[cali]

5. fuck him. no it doesn't make it better that he voted the way the majority of

his constituents wanted. It makes him a pandering piece of shit. This isn't a direct democracy. Being elected doesn't mean just voting the way your constituents want on every issue. If they don't like the way you represent them they can vote you out.

[Calista241]

6. Eh. Hard to get worked up over this.

But in general, I'm against the "outing" of other people for political or other reasons.

[Kurska]

8. I am gay and I'm not

If you attack the rest of the gay community, you can't expect them to protect you with a shield of silence anymore. That is how it works and that is how it should work to be honest.

[hifiguy]

9. Yep. I see nothing wrong with calling Quislings to public account

and I am a middle-aged straight guy.

[lancer78]

7. Isn't the point of having

a representative democracy is being able to elect people who vote for what the majority who elected them want?

[femmedem]

11. I see it differently.

In a representative democracy, we entrust someone else to do the hard work of studying issues and compromising some things in order to get other things. It's not a perfect system, but it (a) offers some protection to vulnerable minorities from self-interested majorities and (b) saves us from ourselves, since most of us don't have the time or inclination to understand the intricacies of government. In this instance, however, I'd say it's more likely that a politician compromised his values out of fear of his constituents' homophobia.

I work in municipal government, in a city where this very evening, people are rallying in advance of a finance committee meeting because they think they want a 0% tax increase--something which would be more difficult and painful to achieve than they realize, given how our grand list has shrunk and fixed costs have risen. It is very hard to educate everyone on every issue. I would hate to be represented by someone who thought they had to do what the majority wanted on every issue.

[cali]

13. not really. we vote for the person we believe best represents

us. Once in office, that person uses his or her judgment. They should not be constantly polling their constituents i order to figure out how to vote. And they represent all the people not just the majority

[Hell Hath No Fury]

16. Bigoted assholes voting for assholes to enshrine --

their bigotry into law? You mean like that?