Tennessee senator sponsors anti-LGBT legislation while having an affair with his cousin, a patient
Betsy Phillips over at the Nashville Scene lays out rather explicitly the flagrant hypocrisy of State Senator Joey Hensley, the Republican from Hohenwald, who is most notable within our community for his sponsorship of anti-LGBT legislation at the state level.
In fact, this subheader says it all:
Joey Hensley pushes anti-LGBT legislation by day, sleeps with his married patient (who is also his employee and second cousin) by night
As a sponsor of 2012's 'Don't Say Gay' legislation, Hensley identified himself as one of the so-called family values Republicans, the kind that deem social issues—such as LGBT rights—a top priority. In a twist that at this point has become entirely commonplace, Henlsey has been routed out as a moral hypocrite.
The most controversial bill he's sponsoring this session is one that would repeal a law that classifies children born of artificial insemination as legitimate. How does this affect LGBT couples? Let's use two lesbians, a married couple, as an example: the spouse who did not give birth can currently claim parenthood by virtue of the marriage. Simple. If HB1406 passes, the spouse who did not give birth can only become a legal guardian of the child by filing for a second-parent adoption at a cost that, according to Salon, has been known to reach $6500.
The sponsor of the House version of the bill, State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, has gone so far as to state emphatically, no less, that the bill does not regard same-sex marriages at all. That claim, of course, has been thoroughly debunked. But back to Senator Hensley...
The source article, also from the Nashville Scene, walks you through all the juicy and gossipy (but also creepy and downright frightening, for an elected legislator) details, including evidence that Hensley may have violated the American Medical Association code of ethics and state board guidelines, and that he refused to participate in the divorce action of Lori Barber—the patient/cousin/employee—due to his physician status as well as being "a member of the general assembly while in session."
Photo via Times Free Press