Anti-LGBT+ Republican who tried to block ‘dangerous’ lockdown has – you guessed it – tested positive for coronavirus
Tom Barrett has become the latest anti-gay Republican to catch coronavirus after attacking lockdown measures (Screenshot: YouTube)
Surprise, surprise: another anti-gay Republican has tested positive for coronavirus after battling the lockdown measures in his state.
Michigan state senator Tom Barrett vehemently opposed governor Gretchen Whitmer’s pandemic orders, to the extent that he became lead sponsor of a bill that would limit her emergency powers.
He’s now having to eat his words after he tested positive for coronavirus on Friday (July 31) during a routine test for members of the Michigan Army National Guard.
“Thankfully I do not have any significant symptoms at this time, and I will be self-isolating according to medical guidelines,” Barrett later said in a statement.
“I have done my best to make contact with those I have been around in the past couple weeks so that they may also seek medical advice.”
Barrett’s bid to limit Whitmer’s emergency powers was vetoed after the governor noted it went directly against “the recommendations of public health experts”.
But he continued pushing against her measures by backing Unlock Michigan, “a coalition of concerned Michiganders” who believe the lockdown is “a dangerous threat to our livelihoods and constitutional liberties”.
The Republican held a petition signing event for the campaign on July 18, The Detroit News reported.
As a father of three young children Barrett often touts his experience as a “family man”, both in the state legislature and on his campaign website.
His concern for Michigan families doesn’t extend to the LGBT+ community, though. In 2015, he voted for a bill that allowed adoption and foster agencies to refuse couples if they felt same-sex parenting went against their religious beliefs.
The bill also banned local governments from passing rules to protect equal rights for potential LGBT+ parents.
Later in 2017, Barrett signed a letter to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission opposing protections against LGBT+ discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation.
He joins several more anti-gay, anti-mask Republicans testing positive for the virus after attacking lockdown measures.
