Homophobic Republican caught on camera with teenage male prostitute
Police have released body cam footage of ‘traditional values’ politician Ralph Shortey, who was caught in a motel room with a teenage male prostitute.
Shortey was a Republican state Senator and a senior member of Donald Trump’s primary campaign team in Oklahoma, but quit earlier this year after he was arrested on child prostitution charges.
The ‘traditional values’ politician, who is married with children, was discovered in a hotel room with a 17-year-old boy who, according to authorities, Shortey had hired as a prostitute.
The age of consent in Oklahoma is 16, but the state’s child prostitution law applies to people under 18.
Police today released body cam footage of the incident at the Super 8 motel in Oklahoma City, after they had been notified that the teenage boy was with Shortey.
In the footage, an officer directs the lawmaker: “You have a juvenile in your motel room… come out before you get me worried. Show me your hands.”
Shortey is shown to be wearing a t-shirt quoting a Bible verse (Ephesians 5:22) about women submitting to their husband’s will, along the phrase ‘Go make me a sandwich’.
Shortey responds: “I’m sorry guys. You’re kinda freaking me out a little bit.”
The police officer adds: “Yeah. That’s what we do. He’s 17.”
The politician initially claimed he was the teen’s mentor, and that they were “just hanging out and talking about life…I’m trying to help him get his life on track”.
Shortey later surrendered himself to face charges and resigned from the Oklahoma Senate.
While serving in the state senate, Shortey described himself as a defender of ‘traditional values’ and had routinely voted with his Republican colleagues on bills targeting LGBT people.
Just months before his arrest he had voted for a measure to allow business owners to discriminate against LGBT people.
Court documents released previously included an affidavit that revealed some of the graphic details of the case.
According to the affidavit, Shortey offered to pay the teen for “sexual stuff” so he could raise money for Spring Break.
In online messages, he told him: “I’m gonna f**k you like a good little boy if you keep calling me daddy.”
He also referred to having sex with the teen’s “boy pussy, baby boy”.
Shortey was initially charged with engaging in child prostitution, engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church and transporting a minor for prostitution.
Last month as part of a plea deal, Shortey admitted one count of child sex trafficking and the other charges were dropped.
He faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison.
Prior to his resignation, the Senate passed a resolution to suspend Shortey from all committees and strip his name from all legislation. The lawmaker’s seat was empty as the vote passed unanimously.
Check out the clip via KOCO 5 News
Shortey is not the only anti-LGBT Republican to have their holier-than-thou hypocrisy exposed.
An anti-LGBT Republican lawmaker in Ohio resigned last month after it was alleged he had sexually harassed young men.
Wesley Goodman, a married Republican lawmaker in Ohio with a long history of campaigning against LGBT rights, was caught having sex with a man in his office. He has was later accused of sexual harassment by a string of men.
The 33-year-old previously trumpeted his support for “a committed natural marriage,” which he defined as a heterosexual union.
He also said on Instagram that he was having “great times” at an event for Focus on the Family, a listed anti-LGBT hate group.
In Congress, a Republican lawmaker who insists marriage is “too sacred” for gay people was named as the aggressor in a sexual harassment case.
Blake Farenthold, the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 27th congressional district, paid out $84,000 of taxpayer money to secretly settle a sexual harassment claim brought by his female former communications director – relating to advances he made while married.
Farenthold has been an unfaltering opponent of marriage rights and discrimination protections for gay people.
In a clip from 2013, he said he was opposed to same-sex marriage because marriage is a “sacred” Christian tradition.
