progressive US Senate candidates mainehas already apologized for previous misogynistic and racially insensitive comments, saying he didn’t know his chest tattoo resembled the Nazi SS emblem, but is now under renewed scrutiny for his anti-LGBTQ+ comments.
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In an interview Wednesday afternoon defenderGraham Platner, a 41-year-old Marine Corps and Army veteran running in Maine. Democratic Party Trying to become a candidate in the primary election republican party Sen. Susan Collins admitted that she authored a series of Reddit comments that included homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes, and sexually explicit articles disparaging gay men.
The existence of comments posted under the handle P-Hustle between 2016 and 2021 had not previously been reported. defender I got a post independently this week. The revelation came on the same day Mr. Platner was scheduled to hold a town hall in Ogunquit, long known as one of New England’s most famous seaside resorts. LGBTQ+ Destinations feature thriving gay communities and celebrations of pride, drawing visitors from across the region.
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“There is no reason to deny [that the posts are mine]”I’ve made a lot of comments over the years and talked a lot of shit on the internet. There’s no reason to doubt that at some point I used words that I wouldn’t use today,” Platner said in a Zoom interview.
He paused for a moment, then added, “There’s no defence.”
Posts retrieved by defender
The unearthed posts show a pattern of homophobic language and rhetoric that ridicules and demeans LGBTQ+ people. In some cases, Platner seemed to casually use the slur in discussions unrelated to sexuality. In other works, he explicitly framed gay people as a punchline.
In June 2016, Plattner wrote in a thread about life as a security guard: “No, seriously. Whip that motherfucker as often as you can… Write a gay poem about how gay your job is now… Congratulations! You made it through one shift! Now do it again in 12 hours. Welcome to the world of permanent posts where sanity is a sliding scale.”
In March 2018, he went into explicit detail about what he described as a “homosexual relationship” between a Marine and a British sailor in Bahrain: “When I was in port in Bahrain on MEU in 2007, there just so happened to be a Royal Navy submarine in port at the same time. … Before I knew what was going on, the other weirdo was just bending over and licking me from the bottom of my ballsack to the top of my ballsack.” Dick. He stood up, looked at us, and yelled, “Get rid of us!” …I proudly walked out of the team because you can’t play gay chicken if you’re actually gay. ”
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In July 2018, Platner joked in another thread, “I think some gays still like holes. Let’s party with the A-listers.”
A month later, in August 2018, he used a homophobic slur in a discussion with another user, saying, “No way, none of the people who voted no are real veterans. Feel free to back it up with facts, it’s just a joke.”
In December 2019, Platner mocked military officers, writing, “Officers are gay. Army or Navy, I don’t give a damn about your brothers.”
By March 2020, he was still using the word “gay” as a punchline. “This was the gayest thing I’ve ever seen (and I don’t mean the fun of sucking dick). This guy is literally everything I hate rolled into one.”
And in June 2021, Platner posted about the military’s “pranks,” writing, “I love how our gay antics make him so uncomfortable that he hates us. In honor of this Air Force pussy, I’m gonna double up on the gay chicken next time.”
All of these posts were made several years after Mr. Platner retired from the Army in 2012.
“That language is not who I am now.”
Platner said. defender He said he will no longer use the slurs and derogatory language that frequently appeared in his posts. “These were words I used for a long time without taking them seriously,” he said. “Due to the personal relationships I have built over the years, I [them] Find it now [them] Becomes quite aggressive. I stopped using those kinds of words a while ago…and now I find them abhorrent. And I’m sorry for using it until now. ”
He attributed the change in his perspective to his friendships with LGBTQ+ people, including both homosexuals and lesbians. transgenderand it got even deeper when I moved back to Maine. “When I lived, Washington DC“I had a number of very close gay friends,” Platner said, and they would often go to showtune nights together at JR’s, a popular gay bar near Dupont Circle.It wasn’t until I moved back to Maine that my eyes were really opened, as I became friends with a lot of transgender people.
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“Even though I tried to be unbiased, there were elements that I never realized were there. That’s when I started thinking much more seriously about the harmful nature of language, the harmful nature of even debating whether a person exists or not.”
That realization, he said, led him to speak publicly in defense of LGBTQ+ students. “Earlier this year, I testified at a local school board meeting defending policies that protect LGBTQ students,” he said. “For me, at this point in life, you either stand your ground or you don’t.”
A campaign shaped by repentance
The new revelations add to a series of controversies that have defined Mr. Platner’s campaign. Platner recently admitted to having a tattoo that resembles the “Totenkopf” skull and crossbones emblem used by the Nazi SS, the Associated Press reported. report He has changed since then. Platner said. pod save americas Tommy Vietor got the tattoo while on holiday in Croatia in 2007, but said he had “no idea” of the Nazi connection until this month.
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“Maybe he didn’t know when he received it, but he received it years ago. He knows full well what it means and should have covered it up,” Genevieve MacDonald, Mr. Platner’s political director who recently resigned, wrote on Facebook.
Before the tattoo controversy erupted, Platner had already apologized for posts on Reddit that included misogynistic and racist comments. He explained that they came from the “dark ages” after military service. That defense is complicated by the fact that this newly discovered comment was written several years later.
“People can change and evolve.”
Asked Wednesday if he understood why voters would question his judgment after so many revelations, Plattner said the controversy reflected his past, not his present.
“It’s all the same thing,” he said. “That’s not indicative of what I’m doing right now. People are digging into my whole life because, frankly, I’m running for the Senate on an anti-establishment platform and that comes with a lot of scrutiny.”
He added: “I think we need politics that reflects the fact that people can change and evolve. I’m very proud of who I am. I’m very proud of who I am. It’s only because of the struggles along the way that I got to where I am. I want people to judge me for who I’ve become through all of this, not who I was during the dark times in my life.”
Platner added that unlike many politicians, he never lived his life intending to run for office. “I haven’t lived my life with the assumption that I would one day run for the Senate,” he said. “I, like everyone else, have lived a normal life, fighting wars, working jobs, and accessing the internet. We need politics that reflects that ordinary people make mistakes and grow. Most people in this country have more in common with each other than with those in power. If we want politics for ordinary people, we have to accept that ordinary people evolve.”
Reactions from LGBTQ+ supporters
according to defenderThis was reported by a spokesperson. happyThe group, which advocates for fair representation of LGBTQ+ people in the media, said voters have a right to know candidates’ track records and to expect real growth, not just regret.
“Voters have a right to know every candidate’s LGBTQ record, and we all deserve leaders who work hard to fairly and respectfully serve all voters, including those who are different from us,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
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“When fair-minded voters see a candidate make derisive and derogatory comments about LGBTQ people, their first reaction is to demand a sincere apology,” the spokesperson continued. “They then check to see if the candidate has publicly acknowledged that they have unlearned biases, and to see if they have shown evidence of growth and an ability to represent everyone.”
“It’s up to LGBTQ people and our allies to hold our leaders accountable to America’s values of liberty, freedom, and equality for all,” the spokesperson added.
Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Sam Lau said: defender“If true, these comments are disturbing and degrading to the LGBTQ+ community. He will have to answer to voters in Maine, who have a long history of supporting pro-equality policies.”
About protecting LGBTQ+ rights
When asked what he would do if he became president to protect LGBTQ+ Americans, Platner said, “I will never vote for any bill that would treat LGBTQ Americans any differently than other Americans. Equality is equality. Forever.”
He also said he supports any measure that expands LGBTQ+ protections and believes the U.S. Senate should use its power to “pull back on the Supreme Court,” which he called “one of the biggest obstacles to protecting equality in this country.”
politics of regret
Plattner acknowledged that his past comments and the scrutiny they have received reflect the new realities of American politics: the persistence of online behavior and the difficult questions of what accountability looks like in an age where every digital trace is left behind.
“I think there’s a place for me.” [looking back]”But if we were just going to sue every comment someone makes on the internet, there would never be functioning politics,” Plattner said. I think what matters is whether there is a credible story of change. ”
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
