Conservatives Call Jen Psaki's 'Lady G' Tweet 'Homophobic.' Is It?

Press Secretary Jen Psaki is coming under fire from conservatives for a tweet that many straight people find homophobic.

Before working as press secretary for the Biden administration, Psaki was a contributor for CNN, and while working there, she made a tweet about Senator Lindsey Graham, where she referred to him as "Lady G," the popular nickname for the Republican used by many DC insiders.

"Only in 2020 does #LadyG get to push a bunch of debunked conspiracy theories while questioning @SallyQYates (aka an American hero)," the tweet reads.

Graham, who was reelected this past November, has long been one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ members of Congress, and has dodged rumors that he's secretly gay for equally as long. Among Washington insiders and LGBTQ+ fans of politics, the nickname "Lady G" is used in reference to that longstanding rumor (which he denies). The name trended on Twitter last year when a gay adult film star made allegations about Graham on social media and claimed "Lady G" was his nickname among male sex workers.

Jokes about Graham's sexuality are fairly common in Washington, especially among the LGBTQ+ community. Some find them funny and say it's appropriate to mock a man who has done so much to hurt LGBTQ+ Americans, while others consider the jokes homophobic.

Last year, former child actress Quinn Cummings made a tweet about Graham being out-fundraised by Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, joking that it was "probably not the first time a black man topped him." Some found the joke humorous, while others said it was antigay and racially-charged.

So far, it seems like nearly all of the complaints about the tweet are from straight Republicans, with some gay Republicans also denouncing Psaki. Still, few in the queer community will defend a senator with such little integrity and respect for democracy that he tried to manipulate election results to please a disgraced president rightfully defeated at the polls. Additionally, Graham's homophobia remains fully intact.

Just last October, Graham said that while he "accepts" the Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex marriage is legal, he doesn't understand it or agree with it. "We're a conservative state, there are a lot of religious people around this state that believe in traditional marriage. They're not bigots..." he added, "I've tried to be tolerant, I've tried to understand that people have different life experiences... the law of the land is that same-sex marriage is legal and we will honor that."

His comments worried many that with the confirmation of antigay justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, same-sex marriage wouldn't be the law of the land for much longer should a legal challenge to marriage equality wend its way to the high court.

Psaki has yet to comment on the resurfaced tweet.