Tennessee congressman called ‘absolutely idiotic’ by fellow Republicans after vile antigay post

Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee posted a message on X on Tuesday declaring that "homosexuality has no place in America" before deleting it amid criticism from Democrats, LGBTQ+ advocates, and fellow members of the GOP.

The Republican congressman published the message on Tuesday, the second day of Pride Month, adding, "Happy Nuclear Family Month." The post referred to a nonbinding resolution signed by Gov. Bill Lee in April that defines a nuclear family as "one husband, one wife" and their children.

The backlash was immediate.

Ogles later deleted the post and blamed a staff member, saying in a statement that he was working on his farm when his phone "began going crazy" over a post that he claimed was made by a member of his communications team.

"The post was stupid, hurtful and a complete distraction from my America First focus," Ogles wrote, adding that the employee had been reprimanded.

The explanation prompted skepticism from critics, who questioned how such a message could have been posted from the congressman's official account.

Congressman Mark Takano of California, who serves as the chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and who is gay, sharply criticized Ogles.

“America is beautiful because every person, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, is welcome here. Republicans turn to posting hateful garbage online because they have no real plans to solve problems for American families,” Takano told The Advocate. “I think Rep. Ogles’ explanation raises more questions, like what kind of people is he hiring that would have thought that tweet was a good idea in the first place? Whoever that staffer was clearly thought the tweet would fit Mr. Ogles’ voice because of his extreme anti-LGBTQI+ record.”

The Advocate contacted Ogles' office seeking clarification about who posted the message, whether the staff member was disciplined, whether Ogles routinely approves posts published on his official accounts, and whether he believes gay Americans are entitled to equal rights and protections under the law. Ogles' office did not respond.

Ogles has built a reputation as one of Congress's most outspoken opponents of LGBTQ+ rights. He has repeatedly attacked transgender Americans, supported legislation restricting transgender rights, and criticized Pride celebrations and diversity initiatives.

"LGBTQ+ people are woven into the fabric of America, and any politician who questions that is severely out of touch with reality," Jarred Keller, senior press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, told The Advocate.

"When so many people are worried about whether they can afford gas to get to work or groceries for their families, the last thing we need is right-wing Republicans targeting marginalized communities with hateful attacks," Keller said. "Representative Ogles should spend less time attacking LGBTQ+ people and start addressing the issues that actually matter, because last I checked, our community isn't the reason families are struggling to make ends meet."

Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, called the statement "absolutely idiotic," writing that Ogles has family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and constituents who are gay and lesbian.

Homosexuality exists. In America,” Lawler wrote. “It doesn't make them less than or somehow unworthy of being an American.”

Another Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, also distanced himself from Ogles' message. Speaking to TMZ on Capitol Hill, Cruz said that "for all of recorded history, homosexuals have been part of humanity" and added that "the behavior of consenting adults is their business."

GLAAD also criticized what Ogles wrote on social media.

"The post, unfortunately, reflects an ongoing pattern of dehumanizing and out-of-touch rhetoric and behavior from the congressman,” a GLAAD spokesperson told The Advocate. “LGBTQ people are woven into the fabric of America, from every state, in every workplace, neighborhood, and place of worship. Constituents trust elected officials to represent all people in their state, and Ogles has repeatedly broken that trust with nonsense like this, which distracts from the real economic issues impacting all Americans. There has to be a better use of his time."

While the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative group of queer people, did not provide a direct statement, they directed The Advocate to the organization’s response on X.

"What has no place in America is Andy Ogles' bigoted views," the group wrote. "It's worth noting that a majority of Americans and indeed most Republicans sharply disagree."

The organization added, "Andy Ogles is such an astonishingly unaccomplished member of Congress it's easy to forget he even exists."

Conservative commentator and editor at large for The Bulwark, Bill Kristol, questioned how one can know whether a post is really from Ogles, given that staff can post without his knowledge.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive,” he wrote.