Gay Alabama Lawmaker Threatens To ‘Out’ Philandering Colleagues, Then Backs Off
Sick of hearing her colleagues in the Alabama legislature oppose gay marriage on the basis of “family values,” Patricia Todd, Alabama’s only openly gay state lawmaker, threatened to “out” at least one colleague who was preaching family values while having an affair, the Washington Times is reporting.
“I will not stand by and allow legislators to talk about ‘family values’ when they have affairs, and I know of many who are and have. I will call our elected officials who want to hide in the closet OUT.”
Ms. Todd made the threat after conservative lawmakers in Alabama expressed outrage over a federal court ruling voiding Alabama’s gay marriage ban. Her ire was particularly directed toward Republican Mike Hubbard, who described the ruling as “outrageous,” and Attorney General Luther Strange, who filed an appeal to have a two-week stay of the ruling put in place.
“One thing I’m pretty consistent on is I do not like hypocrites. If you can explain your position and you hold yourself to the same standard you want to hold me to, then fine. But you cannot go out there and smear my community by condemning us and somehow making us feel less than, and expect me to be quiet.”
After Ms. Todd threatened to out her philandering colleagues for being hypocrites, her lawyer stepped in and advised her to back off. Speaking to Birmingham radio station WAPI, the openly gay lawmaker said that, without proof, publicly accusing someone of having an extramarital affair could bring legal action.
“I don’t have proof, I’m not involved in the affair. Some of it’s pretty common knowledge in Montgomery. I was advised by my attorney not to say things I don’t have proof that it’s true, because then I could be sued for slander.”
Ms. Todd told the Huffington Post that, since she made the threat to out her hypocritical colleagues, she’s received anonymous death threats on the phone and through email.
“My life’s been threatened in the past couple of days. A lot of my friends are worried about my safety. The police are patrolling by my house more often. I’ve got an alarm system. I am being careful. But they’re not going to scare me back into my house. I’m not going to let them do that.”
Ms. Todd also claims she’s waging her war against the Alabama legislature’s supposed hypocrisy alone: she claims she’s not heard “a peep” in support from either civil rights leaders or her fellow Democrats.
