Isn’t it always the bigots with some of the worst skeletons in their closets? Joey Hensley, a Republican member of the Tennessee Senate, is living proof of this.

Hensley’s second cousin, Lori Barber, is divorcing the vice mayor of a tiny city in Tennessee by the name of Hohenwald (population 3,700). Now there would be nothing odd about that, that is if not for the fact that Barber is leaving her husband for Hensley, who is not only her cousin but also her employer – a doctor who’s written plenty of prescriptions for pain medication for Barber. Of course, Hensley also happens to be staunchly anti-LGBT.

Of course, Hensley also happens to be staunchly anti-LGBT.

In 2012, Hensley declared he was a “family values” Republican. The irony of this statement will certainly not be lost on most.

Barber works as a nurse in Hensley’s private practice. The lawmaker is also her doctor. This will prove problematic for him, as the affair reportedly violates the American Medical Association code of ethics and state board guidelines, meaning Hensley may lose his license to practice medicine.

Confronted with these accusations and asked to testify in the divorce case, Hensley reportedly refused, saying he is unavailable as “a member of the general assembly while in session”. He also claimed doctor-patient privilege.

Why do we care about his dirty laundry? Because he has repeatedly tried to turn his anti-LGBT beliefs into policy.

Hensley sponsored a measure called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in 2012. It would have limited all sexually related instruction to “natural human reproduction science” in kindergarten through eighth grade. Fortunately, it died before coming to a vote.

But this year he’s sponsoring legislation that would make children born via artificial insemination illegitimate. A same-sex spouse who did not contribute to the conception of the child in question would have to go through a second-parent adoption process to become a legal guardian to that child. We’re talking an investment of several thousands of dollars.

These are the kinds of family relations Hensley disapproves of. In time, we’ll see what his mean for him.