Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, listens to debate on school voucher legislation Wednesday, May 1, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

According to reporting done by the progressive news outlet the Tennessee Holler, Tennessee’s Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) has been leaving heart and fire emojis on an erotic male Instagram account for months.

The account is run by Franklyn McClur, a 20-year-old gay man aspiring to be an entertainer. The posts on McClur’s Instagram account routinely feature him in suggestive poses and attire. The Holler later conducted an 18-minute interview with McClur, in which they learned that the 79-year-old McNally has been following McClur’s account for years and that he enjoys the comments left by the lieutenant governor.

“I just thought he was older and out of touch,” McClur said in the interview. “I’ve always taken it as a compliment. I don’t dislike him or think he’s a bad person, he’s one of the only people who has consistently uplifted me and made me feel good.”

Tennessee has been spearheading a slew of anti-LGBTQ legislation recently, with several bills currently making their way through the Republican-controlled state government. As the lieutenant governor, McNally presides over the state senate, which recently passed two bills aimed at restricting public drag shows and gender-affirming health care. Despite supporting the passage of these bills, McNally told the press that he has “no animosity towards gay people.”

“I try to encourage people on my posts,” McNally said. “I try to support people. I have friends that are gay, I have friends with relatives who are gay. I don’t feel any animosity towards gay people. I think that’s fairly clear.”

One of the most notable comments McNally left on Instagram was under a picture of McClure in his underwear, where he used McClure’s nickname that supposedly does not appear anywhere on the public account.

“Finn, you can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine,” McNally posted along with hearts and fire emojis.

McClure said that he and the lieutenant governor had exchanged a few direct messages in the past, but he opted to keep them private. In a statement, McNally’s communication director said that lieutenant governor may not leave the right emojis sometimes, but he does not intend to stop.

McNally has served as Tennessee’s lieutenant governor since 2017 and spent three decades as a state senator prior. McNally and his wife Janice are Roman Catholic and have two daughters.