Key takeaways:
- Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, a Republican, has been leaving supportive and potentially flirtatious comments and emojis under risque social media photos posted by a 20-year-old performer.
- McNally has backed bills targeting LGBTQ people, raising eyebrows in light of his comments.
- McNally has yet to comment on the controversy, and it remains to be seen how the public will respond.
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, a Republican, has been leaving supportive and potentially flirtatious comments and emojis under risque social media photos posted by Franklin McClure, a 20-year-old performer from Knoxville who goes by Franklyn Superstar on social media.
McNally, who is married to a woman, has commented under a number of McClure’s not-safe-for-work photos with compliments like “love it,” “super look” and a clapping emoji, according to the political blog Tennessee Holler. He has also left heart and flame emojis under suggestive Instagram posts from the young man.
In response to a photo of McClure dancing outside in his underwear, McNally, 79, wrote, “Love it,” with heart emojis. A spokesperson for McNally did not deny the legitimacy of the comments on the 20-year-old man’s page, chalking them up to the Republican’s “prolific” social media commenting abilities.
The news of McNally’s comments has raised eyebrows, especially in light of the fact that he has backed bills targeting LGBTQ people. Tennessee recently passed multiple bills that target LGBTQ people and culture, and McNally’s comments have been seen as a potential conflict of interest.
McNally has yet to comment on the controversy, and it remains to be seen how the public will respond. The lieutenant governor has been in office since 2017 and is also the speaker of the state Senate.
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