Republican Governor sacks aide over ‘faggot’ rants
The Governor of Illinois has sacked an aide after he was revealed to have a history of homophobic slurs and hate speech.
Bruce Rauner, the Governor of Illinois, had become embroiled in a row after it emerged that his new ‘body man’ Ben Tracey has a history of homophobia.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the aide had been dismissed on his first day on the job, after comments he made on Twitter came to light.
Tracey had repeatedly used the homophobic slur “faggot” on his since-deleted Twitter account. Responding to a user joking about anal rape, he added: “I bet you liked that #fag.”
In another message he wrote “You stole that from me, homo”, while he also told a user: “That last tweet was gay as s**t”.
The aide has also sent racially insensitive and sexist messages.
A spokesperson for Rauner said: “These tweets are unacceptable. The individual in question is no longer an employee of our administration.”
Rauner was elected Governor in 2014, running on a platform that included overturning the state’s same-sex marriage law.
However, he later backed down, and has become a mild supporter of LGBT rights.
Speaking in 2015, he said: “I’m proud to say that the state of Illinois is one of the most welcoming states in America for members of the LGBT community. I want to enhance that.
“But very importantly, more broadly, we want to make this the best state in America for business leaders, business builders and job creators.”
““Illinois is very supportive of the LGBT community. That’s true in the business community. I want to make sure it’s very true inside our state government.
“Many members of our senior team at our most senior level … many of our senior staff members are members of the community.”
He signed a law in 2015 outlawing gay ‘conversion’ therapy for minors.
It bans licenced professional therapists from attempting to “change” the sexual orientation of a person under 18 years of age.
A spokesperson for the Governor said at the time: “The administration carefully reviewed this legislation to ensure it would not prohibit or otherwise interfere with religious freedom or family access to religious counseling.”
Rauner had apparently met with a survivor of attempts at the therapy, and that he had been moved by the experience.
“These so-called `therapies’ treat homosexuality as a disease,” said co-sponsor Senator Daniel Biss in a statement after the legislation was signed.
“They’re out of date and can be deeply destructive to youth. Outlawing these practices is a small step in our pursuit for LGBT rights, but it’s an extremely important step in protecting young people in Illinois.”
