Texas anti-gay lobbyist's wife left him to be with a woman

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- While many Americans struggle to understand the motivation behind frequent anti-gay rhetoric, for lobbyist Jonathan Saenz it may simply be because his ex-wife left him to be with a woman.

As Saenz took over as president of Texas Values in 2012, court documents revealed he was in the process of divorcing his wife, who left him to be with a woman.

Saenz, who had a prior reputation as a by-the-book social conservative, has since built Texas Values into the face of legislative homophobia in Texas, taking a grocery list of actions against the Lone Star State's LGBT community.

According to group's website, it supported efforts "against lesbian mayor" Annise Parker for trying to extend insurance benefits to same-sex couples in Houston, sided against bullied LGBT teens because "homosexuals" should not get "special rights," and supports reinstating Texas' law against sodomy, even though the United States Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional in 2003.

Saenz also endorses anti-gay "conversion therapy," a controversial practice deemed abusive and illegal in some states.

On social media, Saenz's group is just as active in condemning those who share his ex-wife's sexual identity, tweeting anti-gay messages and retweeting homophobic platitudes.

Church Christians who support same-sex marriage more likely 2 support porn,adultery, polyamory,abortion as OK. http://t.co/4v6gmXknSk

— Texas Values (@txvalues) August 11, 2014

How will gay marriage impact your marriage? http://t.co/IGhvZeppb3 via @ERLC #1Man1Woman #marriage

— Texas Values (@txvalues) August 6, 2014

His personal Twitter account features more of the same.

TX African American leader: "I declare a divorce from the HLGC community & Civil Rights movement" - sexuality differs from race #1man1woman

— Jonathan Saenz (@jonathansaenzTX) August 5, 2014