"The 45-year-old boutique oyster farm owner and political newcomer posted to Reddit under the handle P-Hustle between 2016 and 2021, four years after he returned from multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan. He freely used terms like "gay" (as a pejorative) and "f*g" in recollections of his time in the Army and Marines. In a 2016 post, Platner described guard duty as a Groundhog Day of boredom and masturbation: "No, seriously. Flog that f**ker as often as possible ... write gay poetry about how gay your current job is ... Congratulations! You've made it through one shift! Now do it all again in 12 hours. Welcome to the world of standing post, where sanity is a sliding scale.""
""I made a lot of comments over the years and talked a lot of s**t on the internet. I have no reason to doubt that at some point I used language that I would not be using today," Platner told The Advocate after being confronted with the posts. "It's indefensible," he said."
"The admission comes after weeks of similar disclosures, including a drunken wedding video with the candidate singing in his underwear, and a tattoo of the "Totenkopf," a Nazi symbol. Platner has already apologized for his use of racist and misogynistic language."
Graham Platner is a progressive Maine Democrat, Army and Marine veteran, and oyster farm owner running to replace Republican Susan Collins in the 2026 Senate race. Platner posted to Reddit under the handle P-Hustle between 2016 and 2021 and used derogatory terms like "gay" and "f*g" while recounting military experiences. He acknowledged making offensive comments online, said he has no reason to doubt he used language he would not use today, and called that language indefensible. The revelations follow earlier controversies including a drunken wedding video and a Totenkopf tattoo; Platner previously apologized for racist and misogynistic language.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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