Photo of Beshear with drag queens at LGBTQ event used to rally GOP in Eastern KY
Republicans pounced on Gov. Andy Beshear’s decision to become the first sitting governor of Kentucky to speak at a statewide LGBTQ rally last week, using it as fodder to rally voters in a special legislative election held Tuesday.
A video shared by Rep.-elect Richard White and posted on the Facebook page of the Rowan County Republicans showed State Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, telling a group of voters in Elliott County on Saturday that Beshear and the Democratic Party are corrupting the values of children.
As he spoke, Wheeler showed the audience of White supporters a photo of Beshear posing with a group of drag queens during the rally at the Kentucky Capitol.
“This is what our Democratic governor is about today,” Wheeler said to the crowd. “Take a look, these are the values the Democratic Party of today is out there trying to convince our children is the right way to live.”
White went on to win the election in the district, which was previously represented by longtime Democratic Rep. Rocky Adkins, with 56 percent of the vote. White’s victory was heralded by Kentucky Republicans as “groundbreaking” and was praised by President Donald Trump in a tweet.
“Every single Kentuckian is welcome at the Capitol, and attacking the governor for taking a photo with a Kentucky citizen is shameful,” said Sebastian Kitchen, a spokesman for Beshear. “Gov. Beshear is working every day to end the hateful and divisive politics that try to pit people against each other instead of focusing on what we have in common.”
The photo shows Beshear posing with drag queens from the order of the Kentucky Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charitable group that focuses on helping marginalized people in the LGBTQ community. One drag queen is wearing a KFC bucket crafted to look like a nun’s habit while another posed behind Beshear is wearing horns.
“This is not only a fight for the soul of America,” Wheeler said. “It is a fight against evil, for just the forces of decency.”
Wheeler said Wednesday that he does not have an issue with the LGBTQ community, pointing out that he has a gay relative. He said he did have a problem with the attire of the drag queens, particularly the man who was wearing horns.
“When you come in here with clothing and outfits that are just way out there, I have a problem with that,” Wheeler said. “I think we expect a certain amount of decency and decorum in our Capitol.”
By talking about the effect drag queens have on children, Wheeler tapped into a long-standing argument conservatives have made against LGBTQ rights. One of the highest profile examples of the argument came in the 1970s, when anti-gay rights activist Anita Bryant formed Save Our Children, a group that fought to repeal a Dade County, Florida ordinance that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign, said the governor was simply taking a picture with a taxpayer, showing that he welcomes all Kentuckians in the Capitol.
“The Kentucky Capitol is a place where all Kentuckians can go,” Hartman said. “It is a place where you should feel included and welcomed by those who represent us. I’m disappointed that not everyone shares these sentiments.”
Wheeler said he also took issue with gun rights activists who wore masks as they brandished large guns in the Capitol earlier this month.
“I have no problem with LGBT people being around children,” Wheeler said. “I love my [relative], I let him be around my children. If he came around my children dressed like that, I’d rethink my choice.”
Wheeler’s comments were not the only time the picture was brought up on the campaign trail. Sam Howard, a supporter of White whose Facebook page says he is from Vanceburg, shared the picture, calling it a “sad day.” That post was shared 384 times.
Howard also falsely claimed Beshear had declared “Kentucky Transvestite Day,” but deleted the comment after receiving a phone call that it was incorrect.
Cindy Jean Redwine, of Elliott County, denounced a post calling it “Kentucky Transvestite Day” on her own page Monday and criticized people who posted anti-LGBTQ comments of “spit[ting] out hate.”
“You have young people wrestling with their sexuality and have no one to talk to, also feel bad about themselves, if they read something like this on Facebook and see a few more that agree with it, that could be the deciding factor to end their life,” Redwine said.
LGBTQ issues have long been a wedge issue in Kentucky politics. In 2004, lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage that helped drive turnout on Election Day. In 2015, Gov. Matt Bevin lauded then-Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that legalized gay marriage in Kentucky.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the relationship between Cindy Jean Redwine and Democratic candidate Bill Redwine.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 5:52 PM.
