Anti-LGBTQ+ Tennessee State Sen. Ken Yager (R), age 77, was filmed on camera urinating on himself while undergoing a police officer’s sobriety test.
Yager was arrested on Tuesday near Jekyll Island, Georgia for allegedly driving under the influence of an intoxicant, hit-and-run and failure to stop at a stop sign. It’s unclear whether the hit-and-run incident involved a person or property.
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Officers with the Georgia Department of Public Safety reportedly received calls about the accident and later found Yager in a store parking lot being tended to by emergency responders who were helping him after he tripped and fell, according to WVLT.
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“Troopers detected a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath, and he admitted to being involved in a crash earlier but did not know law enforcement was en route,” GDPS officials said.
Video of the field sobriety test administered to Yager, released by WTVF, shows a dark stain growing on the front of Yager’s khaki pants, as if he urinated on himself, while the officer asks him to take nine steps in a straight line. Yager stumbles while taking the steps.
He was arrested, jailed and charged on Tuesday, and was released on Wednesday.
In a statement, Yager said, “An unfortunate incident happened last night. On the advice of my attorney, I cannot discuss the particulars at this time. I am and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities to bring this incident to an appropriate conclusion.”
Yager’s legislative voting record shows that he voted in April to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. In February, he voted to authorize marriage clerks to refuse to perform a marriage ceremony against their religious beliefs. In April 2023, he voted to ban trans girls from playing on girls’ sports teams and to allow teachers to misgender trans students. In February 2023, he voted in favor of banning kids from seeing “prurient” drag performances.
In April 2021, he voted for legislation supporting workers and students who refused to share bathrooms or locker rooms with trans people. That same month, he voted in favor of legislation requiring schools to notify parents about any lessons on LGBTQ+ issues.
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