Michigan State Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R), a transphobic MAGA Republican praised for his “traditional family values,” allegedly registered an account on Ashley Madison, a website for people seeking extramarital affairs, and two other websites for seeking sex. Posthumus was married at the time the Ashley Madison account was allegedly active, but his lawyer called reports of the accounts “categorically false.”

The Detroit Metro Times reported that data leaks of users from Ashley Madison revealed an email address linked to Posthumus, a home address of a home that he and his then-wife purchased in 2011, and a credit card bearing his name. Data leaks also linked him to the pornographic dating site Fling.com and Adult Friend Finder, a website for finding sexual partners.

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The Ashley Madison account reportedly accessed the website’s chat and mail features in March and September 2012, at a time when Posthumus was married to his now-ex-wife. The account profile listed interests in “threesomes,” “being dominant/master,” “being submissive/slave,” and “one-night stands.”

The Fling.com and AdultFriendFinder accounts both reportedly used the same password and his personal email address, which he included in his political candidate filings. The Fling.com account included his birth date, and the associate profile listed interests in “fetish,” “group sex,” “online flirting,” “men,” “women,” or “couples.”

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Posthumus’ lawyer John C. Burns called the Detroit Metro Times‘ reporting “categorically false” and called its article a “hit piece” and “nothing more than a thinly veiled political attack masquerading as journalism.”

Posthumus previously made social media posts against transgender athletes. In September, he voted for a bill that would force trans students to use bathrooms that don’t match their gender identity. In 2022, the Christian Coalition of Michigan gave Posthumus its “Friend of the Family Award” for his “strong defense of family values.” 

Interestingly, isn’t the first anti-LGBTQ+ Michigan State Republican who has been accused of having a Fling.com account.

Rep. Josh Schriver (R) — who recently introduced a bill to ban all pornography — apparently registered an account on Fling.com. Schriver called reports of his account “fake” and “forged,” but “extensive cybersecurity data” contradicts his denial, according to The Detroit Metro Times.

A 2016 data breach of the website’s users showed an account linked to Schriver’s personal America Online email address. The website provided access to explicit photos, videos, and live sex webcams, the aforementioned publication noted. An archived version of the site also promised users they could “find sex” and “get laid tonight.” Schriver’s alleged profile indicated sexual interests including “fetish” and “groupsex.”

Schriver said the data records of his Fling.com account were “forged,” adding, “This is fake. I’ve never heard of this website or accessed it.” 

However, the same email address and password appear in multiple other breaches linked to his verified personal accounts, including the social network MySpace, the homework assistance website Chegg, and the now-defunct cloud services website ZeeroQ, The Detroit Metro Times noted. Additionally, his birthday and IP address in the Fling.com records align with his March 14, 1992 birthday and the time of his studies at Michigan State University.

In February, Schriver introduced a non-binding resolution telling the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage rights. He said the court’s landmark 2015 decision legalizing marriage equality nationwide “has widened a portal where gays, queers, transsexuals, polygamists, minor attracted persons, and other perverts advance attacks on our children,” echoing decades-old attacks demonizing LGBTQ+ people as pedophiles.

Last year, Schriver said that gay marriage should be “illegal again,” adding, “This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme.” He has admitted that he and other Republicans would like to ban gender-affirming care for adults. In February 2024, he was stripped of his office staff, budget, and committee assignments after sharing a social media post pushing a racist and antisemitic conspiracy theory.

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