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[benjipwns]

...and divorced him.

http://www.lonestarq.com/texas-values-president-jonathan-saenz-anti-gay-activism-become-personal/

Mere months before Jonathan Saenz became president of the anti-gay group Texas Values, his wife left him for another woman, according to Hays County district court records obtained by Lone Star Q.

The revelation could help explain Saenz’s seemingly abrupt transformation from socially conservative lobbyist to homophobic firebrand.

Saenz, a devout Catholic, has been a right-wing operative in Texas for many years — working on abortion and religious liberty cases as a staff attorney for the Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute as far back as 2005.

However, it wasn’t until recently that Saenz emerged as one of the state’s best-known — and most extreme — anti-LGBT voices.

Court records indicate that Saenz’s ex-wife, Corrine Morris Rodriguez Saenz, is a member of the LGBT community who was dating another woman when she filed for divorce from Saenz in August 2011.

In early 2012, with their divorce still pending, Saenz would take the helm of Texas Values after the organization spun off from the Liberty Legal Institute, where he’d risen to chief lobbyist.

With Saenz as president, Texas Values has led the charge against not only same-sex marriage, but also passage of LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances in San Antonio and Houston. In fighting the ordinances, Saenz has often repeated the debunked right-wing myth that sexual predators would use the laws to prey on women and children in bathrooms.

Saenz helped push an amendment to the 2014 Texas GOP platform endorsing the discredited practice of gay conversion therapy. In media interviews, Saenz has stated that same-sex marriage will lead to polygamy and people marrying their stepchildren, and suggested that gay activists want to put Christians in concentration camps. Last week, Texas Values filed an amicus curiae brief calling on a federal appeals court to overturn a district judge’s decision striking down the state’s marriage bans.

During their divorce, Jonathan Saenz unsuccessfully sought to permanently bar Corrine Saenz’s girlfriend from being in the presence of the children, records show. At one point, he also sought to jail his ex-wife for failing to undergo an evaluation by a psychologist of his choosing—even though he refused to pay the psychologist’s $2,500 fee.

In her original petition for divorce, Corrine Saenz alleged their marriage was “insupportable due to discord or conflict of personalities … that destroys the legitimate ends of marriage and prevents reasonable expectations of reconciliation.” In his initial response, Jonathan Saenz denied that claim and asked the court to refuse to grant the divorce on those grounds.

Jonathan Saenz also sought an order barring Corrine Saenz from allowing “any unrelated adult, with whom the parent has an intimate, romantic, emotional, and/or dating relationship to remain in the presence of the children, including but not limited to Ercimin Paredes, a/k/a Ercilia M. Paredes.”

Paredes was Corrine Saenz’s girlfriend, court records indicate, and they both taught at Becker Elementary School in the Austin Independent School District.

According to an interim court order dated Feb. 2, 2012, Jonathan Saenz’s request was granted. The order barred Paredes “from being in the presence of the children, including in the same building as the children; with the exception that she may be on the Becker campus in a different location from the children.”

The order also directed both Jonathan and Corrine Saenz to undergo evaluations by Austin psychologist Stephen Thorne, who had been chosen by Jonathan Saenz.

It’s unclear why Saenz picked Thorne, but according to reports, Thorne also does contract work for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, evaluating sex offenders for behavioral abnormalities.

And he also tried to find out how long it had been going on:

In addition to seeking the order barring Paredes from being around the children, Jonathan Saenz’s attorney made discovery requests and issued subpoenas seeking information about Corrine Saenz’s relationship with her girlfriend.

In one discovery request, Jonathan Saenz’s attorney sought all records related to “travel, entertainment, meals or gifts with or for Ercimin Paredes.” Another discovery request sought any photos or videos showing Paredes with Corrine Saenz and the Saenzes’ children.

Jonathan Saenz’s attorney also issued a subpoena to the Austin Independent School District, seeking records of work schedules, trips, overnight trips and weekend work sessions involving Corrine Saenz and Paredes. The subpoena sought all records of any school-related travel by Paredes, and all electronic correspondence between Paredes and Corrine Saenz.

Jonathan Saenz’s attorney also issued a subpoena seeking records from the YMCA, including all dates and times when Corrine Saenz and Paredes used the facility, and whether the children were cared for in the ChildWatch program.

According to court records, Jonathan Saenz alleged that Corrine Saenz was “deeply involved in her relationship with Ms. Paredes as early as the fall of 2010.”

But the final divorce degree isn't too horrible considering what he was seeking:

According to the Final Decree, Jonathan and Corrine Saenz essentially split time with the children — Jonathan Jr., Jonah and Elia — who spend 3-4 days per week with each of their parents.

The Final Decree establishes the children’s primary residence as Jonathan Saenz’s home in Buda, and they are to attend Austin’s Cathedral School of St. Mary through the eighth grade.

Jonathan and Corrine Saenz each have the right “to direct the moral and religious training of the children” while in their possession, the decree states.

 

[YesNOnoNOYes]

That's...... drastic.

I can understand the bitterness and hurt he might have experienced. But I think if he can suddenly turn homophobic, it's probably has always been deep inside to begin with.

 

[Cameron122]

Ughh gross he lives in my city

This is delicious

 

[benjipwns]

That's...... drastic.

I can understand the bitterness and hurt he might have experienced. But I think if he can suddenly turn homophobic, it's probably has always been deep inside to begin with.

Story seems to suggest like he went from a standard "being gay just isn't right" type (which still isn't great, but what can you do) to rabid hatred.

 

[speculawyer]

I have some scripture for him . . . "They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind" Hosea 8-7

 

[GaimeGuy]

Story seems to suggest like he went from a standard "being gay just isn't right" type (which still isn't great, but what can you do) to rabid hatred.

Well yeah, them fags took his family away! At least, that's his mindset

 

[Shaanyboi]

Ugh... what a bitter piece of shit.

 

[ThatGayWolf]

What a crazy asshole.

 

[benjipwns]

Well yeah, them fags took his family away! At least, that's his mindset

Plus it shows they can be hiding anywhere, even within your own family. And making children with you (who probably now are infected and need conversion therapy) to cover it up!

 

[Dalek]

This actually happened to someone I know very closely. He was very loose politically, and one day his wife up and left him for another woman. Since then he has become almost unrationally anti-gay. I remember raving about the movie Milk and he blew up saying he was sick of "The Gay Agenda". It's sad, because this person who was my good friend for nearly a decade has just become this bitter, angry, unpleasant person who has turned his personal pain into political bile.

 

[benjipwns]

At least when it stems from some personal trauma, it's understandable and there's some hope they can make peace with it as they heal.

Kids in this case are going to have a rough time though, thankfully they aren't stuck with just him.

 

[jerry1594]

She's probably a plant placed there by the cultural marxists to undermine traditional values.

 

[speculawyer]

This actually happened to someone I know very closely. He was very loose politically, and one day his wife up and left him for another woman. Since then he has become almost unrationally anti-gay. I remember raving about the movie Milk and he blew up saying he was sick of "The Gay Agenda". It's sad, because this person who was my good friend for nearly a decade has just become this bitter, angry, unpleasant person who has turned his personal pain into political bike.

That is pretty sad. Perhaps a defensive mechanism for him.

But he should let it go. When you think about it, that is much better than her running off with some other guy.

 

[jwk94]

Yeah it's bad dude is anti gay and all but are we just going to dismiss the fact that she was seeing someone else behind his back?

 

[Corronchilejano]

Yeah it's bad dude is anti gay and all but are we just going to dismiss the fact that she was seeing someone else behind his back?

Nope, but that's between them... and how they split everything during the divorce.

Getting back at your wife and ALSO affecting the lives of thousands of other people that have nothing to do with what happened to you? Dick move.

 

[Vermillion]

Mm. That's certainly an explanation.

 

[danm999]

Yeah it's bad dude is anti gay and all but are we just going to dismiss the fact that she was seeing someone else behind his back?

It's not clear that's the case according to the article. They started seeing each other publicly when the wife was separated (but not divorced) and this guy was attempting to prove adultery before the separation.

 

[devilhawk]

Nope, but that's between them... and how they split everything during the divorce.

Getting back at your wife and ALSO affecting the lives of thousands of other people that have nothing to do with what happened to you? Dick move.

Well the OP did include a section about how the husband tried to find out how long his wife was cheating on him. The way it is framed by OP tries to suggest that finding more information on your cheating wife for divorce proceedings is unusual or a horrible act.

 

[benjipwns]

Well the OP did include a section about how the husband tried to find out how long his wife was cheating on him. The way it is framed by OP tries to suggest that finding more information on your cheating wife for divorce proceedings is unusual or a horrible act.

Unless I read the time frames wrong, he was trying to get evidence that his wife was cheating while trying to *block* the divorce as well as deny her access to her children.

That's more of dick move with discovery than making a case for infidelity. Especially when she's the one that filed for divorce and admitted that she was gay and seeing someone.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Yeah it's bad dude is anti gay and all but are we just going to dismiss the fact that she was seeing someone else behind his back?

Even so, you don't get to fuck thousands of people because one person screwed you over.

 

[benjipwns]

Even so, you don't get to fuck thousands of people because one person screwed you over.

What if an art school rejects you twice?

 

[MasterOfPastures]

What if an art school rejects you twice?

Well, you could join the military...

 

[Wilsongt]

You know you are terrible when your wife decides to go lesbian.

Guy is craycray.

 

[mclem]

In media interviews, Saenz has stated that same-sex marriage will lead to polygamy

Well, it certainly didn't for his ex-wife!

 

[Dead Man]

What if an art school rejects you twice?

Godwin, is that you?

 

[Joni]

The same thing happened to my aunt. She is still bitter twenty years later despite remaining in contact with her ex-husband and his partner.

Unless I read the time frames wrong, he was trying to get evidence that his wife was cheating while trying to *block* the divorce as well as deny her access to her children.

That's more of dick move with discovery than making a case for infidelity. Especially when she's the one that filed for divorce and admitted that she was gay and seeing someone.

No, it is standard procedure. The divorce proceedings would follow-up in different ways if she cheated on him and it would change the chances of him getting full custody. It happens in millions of divorce cases. If she started seeing the other woman after the divorce, it is a regular divorce. Otherwise it is divorce due to cheating which could affect prenups and the general ruling. Courts usually don't like the cheating partner if that caused the divorce.

 

[Chunky]

Well, it certainly didn't for his ex-wife!

Ouch, I felt the heat of that burn.

 

[Rubenov]

You know you are terrible when your wife decides to go lesbian.

It happened to me, but she had always been that way inside. I am, of course, not homophobic.

 

[benjipwns]

He has advice for all you homosexualists out there:

My heart breaks for you if you are currently choosing to live a sinful sexual lifestyle while also trying to convince others that it is also okay to live a sinful lifestyle without making any efforts to change or resist sin and temptation. You can make a decision today to ‘go and sin no more.’ It’s not too late. It’s never too late.

There's still hope!

 

[mre]

Unless I read the time frames wrong, he was trying to get evidence that his wife was cheating while trying to *block* the divorce as well as deny her access to her children.

That's more of dick move with discovery than making a case for infidelity. Especially when she's the one that filed for divorce and admitted that she was gay and seeing someone.

Not a dick move; he was covering all of the bases. On the one hand, he was requesting that the court deny his wife's divorce petition. However, if the court denied his request and decided to grant the divorce petition, then he was seeking information that could alter his financial responsibilities towards his wife post-divorce.

 

[Corronchilejano]

You know you are terrible when your wife decides to go lesbian.

Guy is craycray.

Unless she's bi, he had nothing to do there.

 

[slit]

Meanwhile, his oppressive tactics help ensure some pretend to be straight and then ruin lives later on, just like what happened to him.