Former GOP Rep. Aaron Schock allegedly had his hand down a man’s pants at Coachella
Aaron Schock, who repeatedly voted against LGBTQ rights, reportedly partied shirtless with gay men at the annual music festival
Former Republican Congressman Aaron Schock has allegedly been spotted at Coachella making out with a guy and partying with gay men.
Update: Aaron Schock comes out as gay, fails to apologize for anti-gay political record
Shock resigned from Congress in 2015 after weeks of media attention and questions over misuse of taxpayer funds — including decorating his office to look like Downton Abbey and using funds to take staff to a Katy Perry concert.
He was indicted in 2017 on 24 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, theft of government funds, making false statements, filing false reports with federal election officials, and six counts of filing false tax returns. Last week, federal prosecutors dropped charges against him.
However, it’s an alleged trip to Coachella that is raising a number of eyebrows.
Schock racked up quite the anti-gay record while in Congress, including voting against adding LGBTQ people to federal hate crime protections, voting against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and voting for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
But, according to photos captured at Coachella, Schock was spotted shirtless amidst a group of gay men, Queerty reports.
A third photo allegedly shows the 37-year-old making out with another shirtless man. The man claimed to be Schock also has his hand down the front of the other man’s pants.
Both Queerty and Towleroad were sent a photo from someone who claims that they saw Schock making out with a guy while putting his hand in the man’s pants.
Schock is allegedly on the left in the image below:
Political activist James Duke Mason brought the photos to public attention in a scathing Facebook post attacking Schock for his alleged hypocrisy — particularly voting against LGBTQ rights while enjoying the freedom others fought for to make out with a guy in public.
“Normally I wouldn’t comment on something like this, but I am just infuriated by these images of former Republican (and anti-gay) Congressman Aaron Schock partying with a group of gay men at Coachella,” Mason wrote. “The fact that he would think he could show his face in public, particularly when he has NEVER renounced or apologized for his votes against gay marriage, gays in the military and against anti-discrimination laws is astounding.
“My intention isn’t to out him or target him personally, but simply to point out the hypocrisy. I saw him at a recent gay social event in West Hollywood and shook his hand before I realized who he was; he should really be ashamed of himself. And the gays who associate with him without calling him out should know better. It really is a disgrace.”
Others chimed in on Facebook, saying they too had seen Schock at Coachella, including former Queerty editor Bradford Shellhammer, who said it took “everything in me to not throw a bottle at his self-hating face.”
Another person, Ryan Bernard, said he “witnessed this first hand” and called Schock a “terrible, terrible human being.”
Schock’s alleged Coachella appearance — and, if true, his public confirmation of his sexuality — has been taken to task on social media.
Dan Savage noted that outing people is a “brutal tactic” normally reserved for “brutally anti-LGBT closeted politicians.”
“Aaron Schock has a brutal anti-LGBT voting record and he deserves to be outed,” Savage wrote.
Outing is a brutal political tactic that should be reserved for brutally anti-LGBT closeted politicians. Aaron Schock has a brutal anti-LGBT voting record and he deserves to be outed.https://t.co/dTRPQubhzn
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) April 17, 2019
Actor Kit Williamson tweeted that the “gay guys currently palling around Coachella” with Schock to “encourage him to not only come out but to come out against his INCREDIBLY HOMOPHOBIC voting record while he was selling all of us out in congress.”
In a thread on the topic, Williamson added: “You cannot simultaneously hide in the closet and enjoy the trappings of living your life openly like making out with a dude on a dance floor. As far as I’m concerned, he’s outing himself. But he’s yet to take responsibility for the damage he’s done.”
Just FYI, if you're one of the gay guys currently palling around Coachella with @aaronschock, I hope you'll encourage him to not only come out but to come out against his INCREDIBLY HOMOPHOBIC voting record while he was selling all of us out in congress. https://t.co/f8WjTXRVqG
— Kit Williamson (@kitwilliamson) April 17, 2019
Anthony Michael Kreis, a visiting assistant professor of law at Chicago-Kent School of Law, called Schock’s alleged public display — particularly without any apology for his past voting record — grotesque.
“Aaron Schock worked to reinforce institutional homophobia that feeds into repression and validates anti-LGBTQ animus,” he wrote. “That he now feels free to avail himself of the kind of freedom so many of us long worked for — or still don’t enjoy — without as much as an apology is grotesque.”
Aaron Schock worked to reinforce institutional homophobia that feeds into repression and validates anti=LGBTQ animus. That he now feels free to avail himself of the kind of freedom so many of us long worked for– or still don't enjoy– without as much as an apology is grotesque.
— Anthony Michael Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) April 17, 2019
However, one Twitter user noted that perhaps Coachella — whose conservative owner has donated to anti-LGBTQ organizations –was an appropriate place for Schock to be outed, if true.
“Isn’t Coachella mainly run by a homophobe who donates to Republican politicians?” @Pschlarm wrote. “Maybe it’s the perfect place for Aaron Schock to be.”
Schock has yet to publicly respond to the photos.
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