A Democratic candidate seeking a House seat in New York is under fire after images of him in a BDSM-themed photo session emerged.

Chris Gallant, 37, is running against Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) in New York’s 1st Congressional District.

According to the New York Post, Gallant appeared in multiple photos for “Mr. S Leather,” a San Francisco-based retailer that specializes in high-end fetish gear, leather apparel, and BDSM equipment.

Although the images are no longer on the store’s site, they can still be accessed in internet archives.

The photos were online between 2011 and 2020, the outlet noted.

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“The 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,” said Gallant’s attorney, Sara Azari, according to Newsweek.

“Chris 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. That limited understanding was never intended to authorize unrestricted publication, distribution, or use by third parties,” Azari added.

More from the New York Post:

Azari is a nationally known, high-powered attorney who deals with a lot of reputation and sexual misconduct cases, having represented disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)

“As 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’s website. Mr. S honored his request,” she continued.

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 “Mr. S Leather.” But Azari explained that Gallant’s limited understanding with “Mr. S Leather” was “never intended to authorize unrestricted publication” by third parties.

Facial recognition software matched the racy images — some of which depict hardcore sex — to Gallant.

The images also show an identical blemish on his left temple and his distinctive earlobe shape.

A photo of a much younger Gallant during a 2007 appearance at a Fire Island LGBTQ festival shows him sporting a similar close-cropped haircut to those modeled in the fetish pics.

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Some of the snaps depicted him in hardcore pornographic poses, including fully naked and having sex with another man.

Gallant posed with muzzles and blindfolds during the shagging. There’s even a picture of him smiling in a cage.

According to Newsweek, one photo showed Gallant wearing only his underwear while working as a bartender during the Invasion of the Pines annual event on Fire Island in 2007.

Part of Fire Island is in the congressional district where Gallant is running to represent.

“The venue regularly hosted themed and promotional events, and the image depicts Chris working during one such event,” Azari’s statement added.

“It reflects nothing more than the setting and circumstances of his employment. Presenting these images without their full context appears calculated to invite false and misleading assumptions about Chris’s private life. He will not allow photographs from a past relationship or employment to be distorted and weaponized for political purposes or used to distract voters from the issues that matter,” the statement continued.

Newsweek shared further:

Gallant will need to overcome long odds to defeat LaLota, who has a 70 percent chance of being reelected as of Monday, according to Kalshi data.

Gallant, who joined the New York Army National Guard at age 17, has been deployed several times to Kuwait and previously worked as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration and a volunteer firefighter, according to his campaign website.

“For years, I made split-second decisions to keep people safe,” his site reads. “Now I’m stepping up to bring that same focused, steady leadership to Congress.”

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Polling data released in January showed LaLota as vulnerable heading into November’s election, as just 32 percent of constituents said they approved of his job performance, compared to 35 percent who disapproved and 33 percent who weren’t sure.

 

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