Anti-LGBTQ Congressman says it’s possible to give yourself COVID-19 by wearing a facemask

Anti-LGBTQ Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) just said in an interview that he may have gotten coronavirus from a facemask.

Earlier today, Politico reported that the anti-mask Congressman tested positive this week for the COVID-19 virus. He has been refusing to wear a mask while interacting with colleagues in Congress, and even yesterday he was seen at a committee hearing without a mask.

Related: GOP presidential hopefuls & Louie Gohmert appear in ridiculous anti-gay documentary

“I can’t help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place that- if I might have put some germs or some of the virus onto the mask and breathed it in,” he told KETK.

“I don’t know,” he said, “but I got it, we’ll see what happens from here.”

Public health officials have been calling for Americans to wear facemasks to slow the spread of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield examined the science in an editorial for the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and concluded: “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting.”

“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” he said. “All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”

At the same time, many conservatives have opposed mask measures. Donald Trump made headlines on Monday when he wore a mask in public for the second time ever, months into the global pandemic.

Some Republican members of Congress have been refusing to wear masks and were even chastised yesterday by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and videos of conservatives having public melt-downs when asked to wear masks in stores have gone viral.

Gohmert has a long history of anti-LGBTQ comments, including comparing homosexuality to bestiality and polygamy, calling LGBTQ activists “Nazi” on the House floor, and even accusing the Supreme Court of believing they “are now your God” because they ruled in favor of marriage equality.