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Lawmaker Patted On Arm By Male Colleague Fears He Won't Be Seen As Straight Anymore

Lawmaker Patted On Arm By Male Colleague Fears He Won't Be Seen As Straight Anymore

A conservative lawmaker in Pennsylvania really needs everyone to know that he’s definitely, totally a heterosexual after being briefly touched on the arm by a male colleague.

The strong verbal reaction came from Republican state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Butler County during a Tuesday meeting of the House committee he chairs, Philly.com reported. During the meeting, Democratic state Rep. Matt Bradford of Montgomery County was discussing a bill on land use when he gently ― and very briefly ― laid a hand on Metcalfe’s arm.

“Representative Bradford,” Metcalfe said after being touched. “Look, I’m a heterosexual. I have a wife, I love my wife. I don’t like men, as you might. But ... stop touching me all the time.”

Surprised by the reaction, Bradford began laughing ― as did several of their colleagues.

“Initially I was shocked. You could have knocked me over with a feather,” Bradford told HuffPost. “Then it descended into a pretty nasty diatribe.”

Metcalfe continued: “It’s like, keep your hands to yourself. Like, if you want to touch somebody, you have people on your side of the aisle that might like it. I don’t.”

Bradford ceded his time to talk about the bill after the outburst, saying, “I don’t know where we go from here.”

Metcalfe’s anti-gay views are no secret. In 2013, he invoked a legislative rule to keep openly gay Democratic Rep. Brian Sims from talking about the Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling ― because Sims’ words would have been “an open rebellion against Almighty God and God’s word.” This year, Metcalfe complained that Sims had called him an “ignorant, racist bigot.” He posted a video about the incident titled “The Intolerant Left.

Bradford said he and Sims laughed over Metcalfe’s most recent remarks.

“I’m like the suburban Dem, with a wife and four kids himself,” Bradford said. “Not that [my sexuality] matters, but [Sims] and I were laughing about it.”

Bradford described Metcalfe’s comments as “hateful and homophobic.” Metcalfe could not immediately be reached for comment.

“I think that whole thing says a lot about the gentleman,” Bradford said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.