FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's an image that goes against everything that Franklin alderman and mayoral candidate Gabrielle Hanson has claimed she believes — an image of her own husband wearing nothing but an American flag Speedo at a Pride event.
And if her husband, Tom Hanson, can be believed, Gabrielle Hanson not only supported the decision, but pushed him to go through with it.
Hanson, a first-term alderman, bolstered her MAGA credentials earlier this year and launched a campaign for Franklin mayor after leading a bitter, but unsuccessful battle to block a Pride festival from being held at a city park.
She claimed it was necessary to protect innocent children.
Yet, NewsChannel 5 Investigates obtained a 2008 photo of Tom Hanson, wearing only the tiny red, white, and blue swimsuit in the middle of a downtown Chicago street during the city's annual Pride Parade. Other images depict scenes that Gabrielle Hanson has insisted should not be occurring in public, including flamboyantly attired drag queens.
Tom Hanson, a candidate at the time in Illinois' 5th congressional district, later told a newspaper that his wife had egged him on after he first came up with the idea of participating in the parade and convinced sponsors to include him.
"I thought how was I going to make an impact in the parade? I'm a Republican, nobody's going to want to listen to me," he told the Windy City Times.
"So it just came to me. I said maybe I'll wear an American-flag Speedo and my wife said, 'If you do that, I'll hold you to it.'"
NewsChannel 5 Investigates caught up with Tom Hanson Tuesday night at a meeting of the Franklin Board of Mayor and Alderman where Gabrielle Hanson avoided a censure vote for alleged ethics violations. A handful of supporters praised her for trying to protect children from the Pride event.
"Was this harmful to children when you were at the Pride Parade?" we asked Hanson.
He responded, "We're talking about Franklin, we're not talking about Chicago right now."
We followed up, "Do Chicago children not deserve to be protected in your mind? What's the difference?"
At that point, Tom Hanson walked away.
Gabrielle Hanson has declined to answer any of NewsChannel 5's questions, and she did not respond to a text message giving her a chance to comment.
Two young activists, who have spoken out against Hanson, were stunned by what we discovered.
"I'm at a loss for words," said Joshua Patrick, secretary of the Williamson County Young Democrats.
"They say a picture speaks a thousand words, I think that speaks a million."
"I'm infuriated by the hypocrisy," added Meredith Dunn, president of the Williamson County Young Democrats.
"There's no real difference about why something like that should be allowed in Chicago and it shouldn't be here."
Hanson is trying to unseat incumbent Mayor Ken Moore, lambasting her fellow Republican for casting the tie-breaking vote to allow the Franklin Pride event.
She has been endorsed by a far-right political action committee that calls itself Williamson Families and cites her opposition to the LGBTQ+ event as one of the reasons for its support.
“Franklin deserves leaders that will courageously defend our state and federal constitutional rights, champion local business owners, protect the innocence of our children, practice transparent accountability and fiscal responsibility, and thoughtfully listen to residents rather than cater to radical left agendas," Williamson Families said.
"We support current leaders and candidates that reflect our family values and demonstrate integrity, wisdom, and service to the community.”
This follows a series of revelations by NewsChannel 5 Investigates documenting how Hanson has a criminal history dating back to the 1990s for promoting prostitution.
She has also posted social media images of women she says are supporting her campaign, even the women said they did not know who she was and were not supporting her. She later claimed they denied knowing her to "protect" her.
She has also claimed that her husband lives in Franklin with her, while she has joined him in Chicago as he has repeatedly run for Congress, claiming to be a resident there.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates also uncovered evidence that she falsely claimed that she had tried to warn a Franklin police officer that she had a premonition about an active shooter just days before Nashville's Covenant School shooting.
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