WASHINGTON — Robert Turner, head of the Washington D.C. chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans on Tuesday criticized freelance journalist and prominent gay blogger Joe Jervis for publicly questioning claims by reality star Taylor Garrett that he has twice been the victim of anti-gay attacks due to his association with conservative political commentator Ann Coulter.
Garrett, Republican party activist, is a cast member on the Logo network’s gay reality show, “A-List Dallas.”
In a Nov. 11 interview with The Daily Caller, Garrett said that he was attacked outside a birthday party in Dallas after finding a vandal scratching “Fuck Coulter” on the side of his car.
This marks the second time in six weeks Garrett has reported being targeted for his association with conservative commentator Ann Coulter and for being a gay Republican.
Last month, Garrett alleged that a rock with a threatening note attached was thrown at the window of his Dallas Design District apartment. Some gay bloggers have alleged that Garrett falsified the report about the rock as a publicity stunt in advance of the premiere of The A-List Dallas.
Preeminent among the bloggers criticizing Garrett was New York-based Jervis, who publishes the daily news and political blog Joe.My.God. Jervis has cast doubts on some of Garrett’s claims, prompting this response from Turner:
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“Violence against any innocent person is abhorrent. It’s doubly sickening when bloggers such as Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God suggest, before any investigation is completed, suggest that Garrett is faking the hate crime simply because he is a Republican.
“Should Mr. Garrett be guilty of filing a false statement or any other crime, he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But we have as yet no evidence suggesting that he vandalized his own car and attacked himself for pure media attention.
“The question of who is guilty, an as-yet uncaught assailant or Mr. Garrett, is still open. But Mr. Jervis is unquestionably guilty of bad faith. This type of double standard needs to end!”
Turner told LGBTQ Nation on Tuesday that he was not specifically looking to wage a public exchange with the blogger, but he noted that Jervis’ popularity and influence were factors in his decision to issue a press release.
Jervis has implied that the alleged attacks and public statements have been an attempt to build interest and ratings for the fledgling reality show.
Said Jervis on Tuesday:
A couple of things will be obvious to JMG regulars: 1) I don’t suspect Garrett because he’s a Republican. I suspect him because he’s a self-aggrandizing reality show douchebag with a history of highly questionable claims. 2) I’m supposed to have good faith in homocons? SRSLY? Oh, my sides. Stop. No, really. STOP.
