‘Family values’ anti-gay politician accused of affair with his own cousin
A ‘family values’ politician, who repeatedly proposed anti-gay laws, is accused of some less than ‘family values’ behaviour.
Joey Hensley, a Republican Tennessee state senator, is alleged to have had an extramarital affair.
But not just any extramarital affair – an affair with his colleague, who is also one of his patients at the medical practice he works at.
And also his second cousin.
The accusations have come about as said cousin divorces her husband, revealing the allegations during testimony in the divorce trial.
Sen. Hensley has served in the state senate since 2013, is a devout Pentecostal Christian and also works as a family physician.
As a GOP senator, he’s made the most of his few years in the legislature to introduce a string of regressive and anti-gay proposals.
He has frequently spoken about the importance of good morals, and fiercely opposed socially progressive laws.
He sponsored a bill that would have forbidden sex ed teachers from ever mentioning the existence of homosexuality, on the grounds that it wasn’t related to human reproduction.
He also sponsored a bill to allow college counsellors to reject seeing students – even suicidal ones – on religious principles after a counsellor was fired for refusing to see an LGBT student, which he thought was fine.
In February, he introduced a bill that would classify children born through artificial insemination as illegitimate, even if both parents are married and consent to the insemination.
And during the divorce trial, it has emerged that he allegedly prescribed opioids to his cousin.
Although ethically questionable, there is no legal imperative against employee-lover-patient-cousin opioid prescriptions, as he was keen to point out.
He’s now refused to testify at his cousin’s trial, citing his ability to do so as a member of the legislator.
Another anti-gay marriage politician cheats on their wife
Last year, the anti-gay marriage Governor of Alabama was under fire – after he was caught making a sexy explicit phone call to an aide.
Republican Robert Bentley, a strong believer in ‘traditional’ marriage, recently divorced his wife of 50 years, Dianne Bentley.
However, allegations have emerged that Mr Bentley had an extra-marital affair with chief adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason while still married to Ms Bentley, leading to the divorce – despite his belief that a marriage is a monogamous union between one man and one woman.
Spencer Collier, the former secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, has this week come forward with allegations the pair had an affair.
Mr Collier claims he has seen text messages and heard audio recordings of explicit conversations between the pair, with part of a recording published in local media after Governor Bentley tried to deny its existence.
In the recording, a still-married Governor Bentley talks in an erotic manner about how he wishes to fondle Ms Mason’s breasts, as well as appearing to profess his love for her.
Governor Bentley has apologised – but continues to insist that he has not had physical sexual relations with Ms Mason.
The Governor previously referred to gay marriage as “social experiment”, claiming it “destroys the rights of children to be connected to their biological parents”.
He also insisted he has “always believed in the Biblical definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman”, which has “been deeply rooted in our society for thousands of years”.
Towleroad noted the governor’s hypocritical stance after out news host Rachel Maddow tore into the Governor on her MSNBC show.
She said: “This isn’t just a personal story. Governor Bentley ran for this office that he holds on the grounds that he was a family values candidate… a God fearing family man—whose campaign ads featured him talking about the Bible while posing with his wife and all of his grandkids.
“He ran as a man who so believes in the sanctity of traditional marriage that he would fight same-sex marriage with every fibre of his being.
“His administration filed a Supreme Court brief that said marriages between same-sex couples should not even be thought of as marriages, they should be seen as social experiments.”
She continued: “Nobody’s love life is a political matter. Unless you as a politician make your love life and your personal life a political matter.”
She added: “He has been a crusading family values politician who has campaigned on the superior morality of his own marriage, his own family and his own family values, and how he’s going to save Alabama from other people’s terrible, immoral family choices because his values and his family are superior.”
