A Long Island Democratic congressional hopeful has made it clear in a recent interview that he is not ashamed of his past bondage modeling photos uncovered by The Post last month.<\/p>\n
Chris Gallant, 37, the Democratic nominee running against Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY)<\/a> in the NY-01 district says he chose to pose for the racy photos almost 17 years ago because he was into it \u2014 not because he was manipulated \u2014 and he bragged that he thought he looked great, he told The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, all my friends know I\u2019m kinky\u201d as hell, he told the newspaper \u2014 \u201cexcept he used a much saltier word than \u2018hell,\u2019\u201d the Times noted.<\/p>\n New York congressional hopeful Chris Gallant previously modeled sex toys for the \u2018Mr S Leather\u2019 BDSM shop. Obtained by NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cI make Christian Grey look like amateur hour,\u201d he quipped to the outlet, referencing the erotic billionaire entrepreneur in the bondage romance book and film series \u201c50 Shades of Grey.\u201d<\/p>\n In an explosive report last month,<\/a> The Post uncovered Gallant posed for photos for \u201cMr. S Leather,\u201d a San Francisco-based purveyor of leather-daddy supplies, modelling collars, leather straps and bondage gear among other things.<\/p>\n Other images of Gallant in Mr. S Leather gear appear to have shown up on gay porn sites that do not appear to be affiliated with \u201cMr. S Leather.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The congressional hopeful\u2019s Los Angeles and New York-based attorney Sara Azari told The Post in September that Gallant\u2019s limited understanding with \u201cMr. S Leather\u201d was \u201cnever intended to authorize unrestricted publication\u201d by third parties.<\/p>\n The photos have since been removed from the store\u2019s website but can be found online. Obtained by NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cI make Christian Grey look like amateur hour,\u201d Gallant quipped to the New York Times. Instagram\/@_gallantny<\/p>\n The images of Gallant are no longer featured on the stores\u2019 site but are still accessible in internet archives, which show they were online between 2011 and 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cThe photographs are authentic and were taken during a private, consensual photo session involving Chris and his then-partner, with whom he was in a committed four-year relationship,\u201d Azari noted.<\/p>\n \u201cChris was also friends with the owner of Mr. S Leather, and the shoot was intended to be fun and personal, with the understanding that Mr. S could use select images in connection with certain products,\u201d she said, adding the pictures \u201chave no bearing on Chris\u2019s record, qualifications, judgment, or ability to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n Azari noted: \u201cAs Chris began considering a future in public service, he asked that the photographs no longer be used and that they be removed from the company\u2019s website. Mr. S honored his request.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought, \u2018If my family can accept me, the world can,\u2019 and that\u2019s how I lived my entire life,\u201d he told the Times for the new article.<\/p>\n After The Post\u2019s report, Gallant\u2019s campaign then launched a social ad which read: \u201cMake Politics Sexy Again\u201d and joked to the Times that maybe this could be his \u201cKim Kardashian moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Gallant appeared in multiple shots for \u201cMr. S Leather,\u201d a San Francisco-based purveyor of leather-daddy supplies, modelling collars, leather straps and bondage gear among other things. Obtained by NY Post<\/p>\n After The Post\u2019s report, Gallant\u2019s campaign then launched a social ad which read: \u201cMake Politics Sexy Again.\u201d Instagram\/@_gallantny<\/p>\n But he told the publication he didn\u2019t expect his old bondage photos would have become as public as they did. \u201cI mean, you had to go hunt for this,\u201d he explained to the Times.<\/p>\n