Anti-LGBT Republican Candidate’s Election Campaign In Trouble Over Gay Sex Tape
Image: Peter Schmidt
Days after dairy farmer Peter Schmidt won the Republican primary for the state Assembly seat in Wisconsin, his campaign is tottering after the emergence of a gay sex tape and revelations of a past criminal conviction for trying to strangle a male employee.
Schmidt, who has taken anti-LGBTQI stands in the past, now says he briefly “struggled” with his sexuality and no one should be persecuted for their sexual orientation.
Schmidt won the Republican primary last month by 63 votes and will face Democrat William J. Switalla for the November 8 election in Wisconsin Assembly District 6.
Gay Sex Tape
Soon after his election, news emerged that he was arrested for trying to strangle an employee at his farm in November 2019. Schmidt was sentenced to two years probation, ordered to take anger management classes and write an apology letter to the victim.
Subsequently, it emerged that Schmidt had filed a police complaint about someone trying to extort money from him over a gay sex tape. The man had allegedly demanded $50,000 for not releasing a sex tape of Schmidt “performing oral sex on another male.”
The website OnlySky obtained a copy of the incident report where Schmidt claimed that he was in a relationship with the person who he was having oral sex with.
According to the complaint, the sex act “act happened while no one else was around they were alone). This was a free and voluntary sexual act between the two of them. There had been many sexual encounters between Peter Schmidt and however there was only one shown in the recording.”
I’ve Focussed On My Faith
Schmidt negotiated with the extortionist and brought down the amount to $5,000, but did not pay him and instead, “told his family of his life style choice… (homosexuality).”
Schmidt told the local newspaper WisPolitics.com that he was “victim of a crime, but I’ve put the matter behind me and I’ve focused on my faith. I’m a strong conservative and Christian, but there was a brief moment I struggled with my sexuality. No one should be persecuted or smeared for their personal orientation.”
The Republican Party passed a censure against Schmidt over the criminal conviction and said they will not back him in the election. Instead they would support the candidate who Schmidt defeated in the GOP Primary.
The irony is that Schmidt has taken anti-LGBTQI stances to win the votes of conservatives. OnlySky reported that Schmidt had in response to a questionnaire by the conservative Christian group Alliance Defending Freedom, said that he supports the right of business owners to refuse to serve LGBTQI customers, opposed including sexual orientation and gender identity as protected attributes under the state’s anti-discrimination laws and opposes trans girls participating in women’s sports.
