by James A. Bacon

Is there room for a gay man, no matter how conservative, in Virginia’s Republican Party? The signals are mixed, but it appears that there may be.

Five years ago, a Virginia GOP committee passed a resolution censuring Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va., for betraying the party’s values when he officiated a same-sex wedding. He was challenged in a Republican primary, lost his seat, and has since dropped out of the Republican Party.

History doesn’t repeat itself, as the saying goes, but it does rhyme. Today, John Reid, the lone contender for the GOP candidacy for lieutenant governor, is under pressure to drop out of the race. Indeed, he says, he has been the victim of a “coordinated assassination attempt” to force the first gay GOP candidate for statewide office off the ticket.

Citing the existence of photos of nude men on what was purported to be Reid’s tumblr account, Governor Glenn Youngkin demanded last week that Reid drop out of the race. The former Richmond radio talk-show host refused. And it turns out that a lot of conservative Republicans are willing to look past his sexual orientation. This may not be a replay of Denver Riggleman after all.

Reid was greeted warmly in Abingdon, in far Southwest Virginia, by local GOP activists including Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va. The suburban ladies of the Henrico County GOP have leaped to his defense online. And Matthew Hurtt, chair of the Arlington County Republican Party, sent out a tweet protesting the Governor’s call.

Philip Kazmierczak, a member of the Virginia LGBQT+ Advisory Board, submitted his resignation. “One of the fundamental principles of the Republican Party, and a value I hold dearly, is that government should stay out of the personal lives of individuals — all of the time, not merely when it is political convenient,” he wrote. “This recent episode stands in stark contrast to that principle. We are meant to be the party of the big welcoming tent.”

Kazmierczak wrote that he was “deeply moved” by the support that Reid was receiving from conservative circles.

For all the media attention given to the story — there’s nothing as juicy as a Republican circular firing squad — many questions remain unanswered, so any conclusions expressed here are tentative and subject to revision. Also, full disclosure, I consider myself a professional friend of Reid’s. I appeared many times on his talk radio show, he was a big backer of the Jefferson Council, whose executive board I serve on, and we have had friendly interactions on numerous other occasions. So, yeah, I’m biased. Still, I’ll try to approach the story objectively.

Who found the photos? Reid asserted forcefully in a video statement that the tumblr account attributed to him was fabricated, and so were the offending photos in it. In evaluating his claim, it would be useful to know who uncovered them. Media reports have been vague. The group or individuals involved have not been identified.

One source tells me the material was uncovered by a “Christian group in western Virginia.” Reid mentioned that he was first alerted to the photos two weeks ago from a “local religious activist” and two people he had known for years. They suggested, he said, that it was in his best interest to drop out of the race. My understanding is that those individuals were not the same people who uncovered the photos but, rather, were passing along material to Reid that had been circulating already.

Then last Monday, Reid’s main rival, Pat Herrity, dropped out of the race due to health issues, leaving Reid as the only credible candidate standing. At some point, The Washington Post suggests, the photos made their way to Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, and then, presumably, to Youngkin himself. Some social media commentary alleges the involvement of Matthew Moran, Youngkin’s director of policy and legislative affairs. I report this only to show the kind of conjecture that is taking place.

Youngkin’s dressing down. Details are sparse about Youngkin’s conversation with Reid. A statement from Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC quoted in The Richmonder, stated only, “Youngkin’s PAC confirmed details of the phone call, saying the governor asked Reid to step down after learning of ‘disturbing online content’ the day before.

In his video statement, Reid said this: “What I didn’t expect was the governor I have always supported to call and demand my resignation without even showing me the supposed evidence or offering me a chance to respond.”

I find it significant that the Governor did not give Reid an opportunity to respond to the allegations before weighing the evidence and reaching a judgment. Who does that? If you’re going to demand that a candidate of your own Party drop out of the race, don’t you at least do him the courtesy of hearing out his story first? Surely Youngkin has learned by now that politics is a nasty business rife with rumor.

What was the evidence? Again, the reporting has been spotty at best. We don’t know what images Youngkin based his judgment on. As I’ve pieced it together, two sets of photos figure most prominently: Reid attending a drag show, and nude photographs of males on the tumblr account of contested authorship. There may have been others.

I have not seen the photos. Drag shows are not my thing. I don’t recall ever going to one. I do know a lot of people, including friends and family, who have. The shows are bawdy, they’re risque, they involve adult humor, and they’re not for everyone. But if attending a drag show is sufficient to disqualify a candidate for public office, I’d dare say half the population would be ineligible. Drag shows have gotten a bad name in conservative circles thanks to drag-queen story hours for impressionable children. Reid readily acknowledges in his video that drag shows are adult fare not appropriate for children. He believes that children should be protected from adult content of all kinds. This is, frankly, a non-issue.

Of greater potential concern are the nude male photos. Here’s how the Washington Post described them:

The Tumblr account reposted suggestive photos of men, a mix of explicit images of genitalia and milder fare fit for an underwear ad. It also reposted at least a few crude sexual comments.

If the images displayed pornographic sex, I expect the Post would have told us, so we can probably rule out that possibility. If we accept the proposition that Reid actually did post the images, the question, then, is how disqualifying it is for a gay man to post photos of nude men online?

One way of approaching the question is how disqualifying would it be for a heterosexual candidate to post photos of nude women online? I suppose it depends on whether the images are salacious, degrading or exploitative? Having not seen the photos, I’m not in a position to say.

Needless to say, if Reid didn’t post the photos, the issue is moot.

Was the social media account forged? In his video, Reid claimed that the tumblr account was forged. (tumblr is a website where people come together to form communities of common interest.) “I can tell you, that’s not my account,” he said. “Anyone on the Internet can open an account with the same or similar names as other people.”

Here’s the weakest point in Reid’s argument. According to the Post, which consulted the Wayback Machine web archive, the tumblr account in question dates back to 2020, and it was taken down Friday morning. If someone had fabricated the account in order to plant the photos, they would have had to be thinking five years in advance. How likely is that? Reid would strengthen his case immeasurably if he could address that point.

Frustratingly, someone took down the tumblr account, so it is difficult to examine it for other clues. (If someone knows how to access it on the Wayback Machine, please let me know.)

At the end of the day, all we’re left with is conjecture.

In my book, it looks like Youngkin treated Reid shabbily. And it looks like many Virginia Republicans are thinking the same thing. We may learn more, in which case I reserve the right to change my mind. But I find it encouraging that so many in the GOP are backing Reid despite the Governor’s condemnation. Reid is a fighter. He’s not backing down. And that’s what Virginia Republicans need.