Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey hits out at ‘disgusting’ claims she’s a closeted lesbian
The Governor of Alabama who signed an anti-LGBT law has dismissed attempts to out her as gay as a “disgusting lie.”
Republican politician Kay Ivey replaced her former boss Robert Bentley as governor of the state last year, when he was forced to step aside over a sex scandal.
Ivey recently signed into law a bill that allows adoption agencies to discriminate against gay couples, and this week she intervened in a row over LGBT organisations getting funding from the state.
Patricia Todd, an out Democratic lawmaker, took to social media to vent about the Governor’s perceived hypocrisy.
Todd wrote: “Will someone out her for God’s sake….I have heard for years that she is gay and moved her girlfriend out of her house when she became Gov.
“I am sick of closeted elected officials.”
Ivey, who has had “two unsuccessful marriages” in the past according to a previous newspaper bio, responded to the comments through her official spokeswoman.
Her office said: “This is a disgusting lie being pushed by a paid liberal political hack. There is absolutely no truth to it.”
The rumours come ahead of November’s election for the governorship, where Ivey will face off against an as-yet unselected Democratic candidate.
Ivey recently signed the so-called Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act, which enshrines discrimination into Alabama law by allowing some state-licensed adoption and foster care agencies to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs.
The bill provides protections for adoption agencies that claim that religious beliefs mean they can’t place children with gay couples, by stopping the state from taking action against them.
The measure would even allow agencies to refuse to place foster children with members of their own extended families – a practice often considered to be in the best interest of the child. A qualified, loving grandparent, for example, could be deemed unsuitable under the law if they are LGBTQ.
LGBT activists suggest the law amounts to state-sanctioned discrimination against gay people.
Eva Kendrick, HRC Alabama state director, said at the time: “We are deeply disappointed that the legislature and the governor took on this unnecessary, discriminatory bill instead of focusing on how to improve the lives of all Alabamians, no matter who they are or whom they love.
“The intent of this law is clear: to discriminate, causing the most harm to children in Alabama’s child welfare system. It’s time our lawmakers – from the legislature to the Governor’s Mansion – stop using LGBTQ people as pawns to win cheap political points.”
Former Governor Robert Bentley, who claimed that permitting gay people to marry would “undermine” civil society, stepped down in 2017 after impeachment hearings started against him.
Last year, Bentley, a militant believer in ‘traditional’ marriage, faced allegations he had cheated on his wife of 50 years with chief adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason.
In a recording, the still-married Governor Bentley talks in an erotic manner about how he wishes to fondle Mason’s breasts, as well as appearing to profess his love for her.
The governor was immediately branded a hypocrite given his crusade against same-sex marriage in the state.
In the recording, a still-married Governor Ivey talks in an erotic manner about how he wishes to fondle Ms Mason’s breasts, as well as appearing to profess his love for her.
The governor, whose affair has since been outlined in some detail, was immediately branded a hypocrite given his crusade against same-sex marriage in the state.
