“Interview” with George Santos
03.03.2023 - 04:15
/ thegavoice.com
I am thrilled to interview George Santos, the first openly gay Republican elected to the U.S. Congress. Rep. Santos and I met during a recent visit to Atlanta where he is helping organize the Project to Make Dixie Great Again.
Congratulations on your recent victory, Rep. Santos. I was somewhat surprised to learn you had a connection to the South. Can you fill us in?
Oh, obviously I – George – was named after Georgia and spent much of my youth here. My parents were the Jewish descendants of slaves who told Joel Chandler Harris many of the stories that he turned into the Uncle Remus tales. To honor them, Mr. Harris created a basement apartment in his mansion, the Wren House, and it remains a family retreat. When I was a teenager, I spent weeks at a time in that apartment. I later created my animal rescue charity as a tribute to the captivating animal folklore of my ancestors, as told by Uncle Remus.
You’re 34, so your teen years in Atlanta would have been in the early 2000s. Did you begin exploring your gay side then? Who was your first crush?
Of course! I admit I filled in for Mr. Charlie Brown the week Backstreet closed in 2004. And I met my first crush that same week – Lindsey Graham, America’s first openly gay Republican Senator, elected in 2003. He was at Backstreet, still celebrating his victory.
The Lady Lindsey is not openly gay.
Are you sure? That’s news to me, but, okay, he is America’s first gay Republican senator, period. Anyway, he was a huge inspiration. I was also the last Mr. Hotlanta in 2003, the final year of the pageant. But enough about me.
But it is all about you. You’ve been accused of constructing a life story that is completely fictitious. What do you have to say to your critics?
They’re nothing but