Konrad Juengling

Konrad Anders Juengling (German: Jüngling;[2] born 1987) is an American LGBT rights activist and writer. His activism focuses on equal rights for LGBT people, ethical consumerism, and supporting liberal politicians. The Huffington Post characterized Juengling's work as "tech savvy queer activism."[3]

Konrad Juengling

DBoS[1]
Juengling (right) with Holocaust survivor Ruth Klüger (left) at the OSU Holocaust Memorial Week, 2013
Born1987 (age 33–34)[1]
Salem, Oregon, United States
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationNorth Salem High School
Alma materPortland State University (BS)
Boise State University (MSW)
OccupationLGBT rights activist
Years active2013 – present
Political partyDemocrat
Spouse(s)Robert Juengling (2016–present)
RelativesDietrich Juengling (uncle)

He is a former contributing writer for PQ Monthly and GeeksOUT. He is the author of Jeb's ABCs, a satirical children's book based on Jeb Bush and Bush's stance on political issues.

Early life and education

Konrad Anders Juengling was born in 1987 in Salem, Oregon.[4] He was raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[4] Juengling is the nephew of lighting director Dietrich Juengling.[5] The LGBT publication Gay PV characterized the Juengling family as "involved in the arts".[5] He is a collateral descendant of United States President Abraham Lincoln through Lincoln's great-grandfather John Lincoln.[6][7]

In February 2005, Juengling earned his Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America; his project was removing graffiti from public parks and fences in Four Corners, Oregon.[8] Because of the then-active BSA policy of not allowing gay youth to join, Juengling did not come out to any scouting leaders while in the Boy Scouts, though he did come out to other boys in his troop.[9] Juengling attended North Salem High School, from which he graduated in 2005.[10] While at North, he was a reporter for the student newspaper The Clarion.[11] After graduating high school, Juengling attended university at Portland State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology.[4] He moved to Boise to attend Boise State University to earn a Master's in Social Work, graduating in 2017.[12] At Boise State, Juengling was the recipient of the Chinn LGBT Scholarship from the American Atheists.[13]

Activism

Indiana's 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act bill

In March 2015, Indiana passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The act was seen by some as discriminatory against LGBT and other minorities. In response, Juengling purchased the domain names of six Republican Indiana State House representatives and linked them to the Human Rights Campaign's Youth Statistics page. He stated the information on the site would educate the lawmakers about a population that "is already disadvantaged and have less accesses to family, community supports, and healthcare."[14] The domain names he purchased were for representatives Dale Devon, Don Lehe, Donna Schaibley, Douglas Gutwein, Kathy Kreag Richardson, and Martin Carbaugh.[15][16][17] In an open letter to Indiana state representatives, Juengling offered to give them the domains in exchange for passing a non-discrimination policy.[18] Juengling's efforts were supported by LGBT magazine The Advocate,[19] Towleroad,[20] and other media.[21] The Huffington Post awarded Juengling with their "Unicorn of the Week" award for his efforts in combating the Indiana bill and "doing something positive for the LGBTQ community".[22][3]

As a response to Juengling's domain names purchase, writer Brian Anderson referred to him as an extortionist who "is holding [the domains] hostage until they bow to his will."[23] Young Conservatives writer Michael Cantrell also referred to Juengling as an extortionist, and someone who "lives to take [freedom] away."[24] Criticism also come from within the gay community, including Pink News, who stated "We could not possibly condone such a petty move."[18]

2016 presidential election

Juengling endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for the United States 2016 presidential election.[25]

In response to Ted Cruz announcing his presidential bid, Juengling stated, "Despite having an abysmal attendance record on the Armed Services Committee, not recognizing our impact on climate change, and his insistence gays are waging a 'jihad' against Christians, Cruz believes he is the right man to lead the most powerful country in the free world... The reality of the situation is that a presidency under Cruz is a far fetched idea."[25] Juengling also created an Amazon wish list with gay items to be sent to Cruz's office as a form of protesting his candidacy.[25][26]

Juengling wrote a book about Jeb Bush called Jeb's ABCs, a satirical children's book that called attention to Bush's political stands.[27] The Huffington Post wrote the book "is actually genius."[28] In an interview with the Huffington Post Juengling stated, "I would like people to take away the realization that Jeb is a poor candidate and poor politician. He is unable to connect to minority voters, holds discriminatory views and believes homosexual people are “sodomites.” I would like people to research into the quotes and policies covered in the book and see there's actually a lot more information out there."[28] The National Memo stated Jeb's ABCs "is a critically-lauded take-down of Jeb Bush's poor record on LGBTQ rights. ... though the nomination of Donald Trump wasn't much consolation."[29]

2018 Idaho gubernatorial election

In the 2018 Idaho gubernatorial election, Juengling endorsed Democrat Paulette Jordan over Republican Brad Little, citing Jordan's stance on LGBTQ rights, marriage equality, Medicaid expansion, clean energy, and abortion rights for women. The National Memo called Juengling's endorsement "a major LGBTQ endorsement."[29][30] In an interview with Gay Star News, Juengling stated he disagrees with Jordan on gun rights, stating he is "firmly in the gun control camp. I think Americans have an unhealthy fascination and obsession with firearms."[26]

2020 presidential election

In October 2018 Juengling stated he'd like to see Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or Cory Booker make a presidential bid.[11] In May 2019, he officially endorsed Harris, and stated a Harris-Pete Buttigieg ticket would be his "ideal." He criticized Tulsi Gabbard, citing Gabbard's history on LGBTQ rights, record on Bashar al-Assad, and other positions she holds, but stated he would vote for whoever the Democratic nominee was.[31][32] In September 2020, Juengling stated he was "75 percent confident [Democrats] will take the presidency. Trump's handling of the coronavirus, rampant unemployment, and his behavior over the last four years will drive people into the voting booth."[33] On November 3, Juengling stated he was nervous Biden could win the popular vote but lose the election because of the Electoral College.[34] After Biden won the election, Mic reported Juengling was anxious and "deeply unsettled by what he sees as Trump’s denial of his defeat (a.k.a., reality) in order to promote the narrative his base wants."[35]

Animal rights

Juengling has launched multiple petitions online relating to animal rights, including to ban the sale of foie gras online, and to outlaw trophy hunting imports within the United States.[36] He also is focused on expanding endangered animal protection and ending fur farming.[37] EuroNews stated Juengling is "particularly focused on animal rights activism" and has a "passion for animals".[36] He does not support zoos, stating zoos "profit off the capture and containment of exotic animals that should be left in the wild."[38] He protested the Ringling Brothers Circus at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon, in 2012.[39]

In October 2020, Juengling started a campaign to get Grenada to adopt endangered species legislation on the islands. Now Grenada called it an "important campaign", writing, "If Juengling is successful, not only the endangered animals will benefit. It will enhance our tourism product, and thus the people of Grenada stand to benefit as well."[39]

Juengling is a supporter of Million Dollar Vegan, a charity campaign launched in February 2019 to get Pope Francis to go vegan for Lent.[40][39]

Political positions

2019 Trump wall emergency

In 2019, President Donald Trump declared a National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States. Juengling does not believe the border wall should be considered a national emergency.[41]

First Amendment

In November 2020, OZY reported Juengling believed the First Amendment to the United States Constitution needed to be updated. Juengling stated, "Just like people cannot legally incite imminent violence, they should not be able to incite others with hate speech against a minority population. We have the duty as an advanced society to move beyond unregulated hate speech being protected. It’s time for hate speech laws to come to America."[42]

Global warming

Juengling believes global warming should be a national emergency. In February 2020, he stated, "...the United States is actively contributing to the problem rather than being the leader it could be. Global warming affects the entire planet and has already had permanent consequences on this earth... We have the opportunity to mitigate some of the damage currently happening and shift the focus to being responsible stewards of this planet rather than plundering it for shareholders."[41]

President Donald Trump

In September 2020, Juengling stated "Trump is the most divisive and unscrupulous president America has had. Other presidents don't hold a candle to Trump in terms of incompetence and surrounding themselves with sycophants and inept family members. Trump's interests lie in expanding his empire and growing his fortune. If he has to run America into the ground by appealing to racists, homophobes, and nationalists, he'll do it."[7]

Writing

While attending Portland State University, Juengling was a paid columnist for the student newspaper the Daily Vanguard. His column, titled "Just a Phase", ran during late 2013.[11] From 2013 to 2015, Juengling was a contributing writer for PQ Monthly, which is based out of Portland, Oregon.[43]

After writing an op-ed picked up by GeeksOUT, Juengling then joined the GeeksOUT team, writing posts about queer-related media for their site from September 2014 to April 2016.[44] From December 2015 until the magazine closed in May 2016, Juengling wrote for OutBoise Magazine, a queer magazine based in Boise, Idaho.[45] Opinion-editorials written by Juengling "helped to raise GeeksOUT's profile after their ‘Skip Ender's Game’ campaign."[5]

In April 2016, Juengling joined Emily Allen, Timothy "Tim" Jensen, Christy Schroeder, and Jenna Wiskus to write Boise Weekly to criticize Idaho's Bill 1321, which would allow the Bible to be used in public schools as instruction material. They stated Bill 1321 "blurs the lines between the separation of Church and State in Idaho Public Schools" and that it was "an alarming bill for several reasons".[46]

In June 2017, Juengling wrote an op-ed for the Times-News, titled "Idaho Needs Mandatory Sex Education", in which he argued, "Comprehensive sex education should also include LGBT health and topics as well. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth deserve to have information regarding their sexuality and health just like heterosexual and cisgender students."[47] The piece was also published in the Post Register under the headline "Mandatory sex ed in Idaho."[48]

In September 2018, Juengling wrote a letter to the editor of the Idaho Press-Tribune about former Idaho Senator Marv Hagedorn making fun of sexual assault victims on his Twitter account earlier that week. The letter was titled "Making fun of sexual assault victims isn't funny."[49] A day later, he wrote another letter to the editor of the Meridian Press criticizing Meridian's mayor for abstaining from a potential tie-breaking vote when the city council voted on a non-discrimination ordinance for gender identity and sexual orientation.[50]

Juengling has also written op-eds on LGBT topics for the Q Center in Portland; The Washington Blade; GayRVA;[5] QSaltLake and Purple Unions.[11]

Personal life
Juengling (right) with his husband in 2014; the couple got married in 2016.

Juengling initially met his husband Robert (né Peterson) on the gay social networking app Grindr.[4] The two became engaged in 2015 at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.[4][51] They married at Silver Falls State Park on August 20, 2016, where they were the first same-sex couple married at the lodge.[26]

An amateur genealogist, Juengling is a member of several genealogically focused groups. Among them are: Bloodlines of Salem, a lineage association for those related to people killed as witches during the Salem Witch Trials;[1] the Dutch Colonial Society, a society for those who are a "direct descent from a Dutch settler born in the Netherlands, and, who immigrated, no later than 19 April 1775, to any settlement in what is now the United States";[52] and the Presidential Families of America, a lineage association for those related to United States Presidents and First Ladies.[6]

South African artist Gavin du Plessis painted a piece honoring Juengling, called Juengling in Hades. The piece was part of the Sanlam Art Collection in 2019.[53]

Juengling considers Diana, Princess of Wales an inspiration and "progressive champion" for her charity work with HIV/AIDS patients during her lifetime.[54] He identifies as an atheist, environmentalist, feminist, liberal, and "sometimes vegan".[26][36]

Bibliography

Books
  • Juengling, Konrad Jeb's ABCs (2015) ISBN 978-1519404565

Columns

Regular contributor
  • --- Geeks OUT (September 2014 – April 2016)
  • --- OutBoise Magazine (December 2015 – May 2016)

See also

References
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  2. Dominique (May 12, 2020). "Unmasked: "Trumps fahrlässiger Umgang mit dem Virus wird mehr Menschen ins liberale Lager bringen."" (in German). Gay.ch. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  3. "Konrad Juengling (@PDX_er) is our #UnicornOfTheWeek!". Twitter. April 24, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  4. Drake, Aaron (February 19, 2015). "Is This the First Time Grindr Led to Nuptials?". The Advocate. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  5. "Konrad and Robert Engagement". Gay PV. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  6. "New Members" (PDF) (Winter 2017). Presidential Families of America. 2017. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  7. Brown, Stacy M. (September 23, 2020). "Does Any Other U.S. President Compare with the Unhinged Trump?". The Washington Informer. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  8. "Eagle Scout". Statesman Journal. February 7, 2005. p. 2C. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.(subscription required)
  9. "Boy Scouts open ranks to gay youth on Jan. 1". KATU. December 27, 2013. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  10. "North Salem High School". Statesman Journal. June 12, 2005. p. 4G. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.(subscription required)
  11. "Konrad Juengling Is Out Fighting For LGBTQ+ Rights In the US". Gay Boy Bible. October 25, 2018. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  12. "Spring Commencement" (PDF). Boise State University. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  13. "Scholarship Winners". American Atheists. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  14. Terkel, Amanda (April 21, 2015). "Gay Rights Activist Scoops Up Domain Names Of Indiana Lawmakers Who Voted For 'Religious Freedom' Bill". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  15. Alberts, Thomas (March 30, 2015). "Exclusive: Activist Buys Domains Of Indiana Lawmakers Who Passed Anti-Gay 'Religious Freedom' Bill". The New Civil Rights Movement. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  16. "Domain name campaign targets six Indiana lawmakers". Purdue Exponent. April 2, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
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  20. Walters, Christian (April 23, 2015). "Gay Rights Activist Buys Up Domain Names Of Indiana 'Religious Freedom' Legislators". Towle Road. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  21. Bradford, Andrew (April 21, 2015). "Hoosier Punk'd! Gay Rights Activist Gets Even With Supporters Of Indiana Religious Freedom Law". Liberal America. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  22. "QueerView April 24: A Look Back At The Week In LGBT News Stories". Huffington Post. April 24, 2015. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  23. Anderson, Brian (April 21, 2015). "Gay Activist Extorts Indiana Lawmakers Who Voted For Religious Freedom Law". Downtrend. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  24. Cantrell, Michael (July 29, 2015). "Gay Activist Buys Domain Names of Republican Politicians, Redirects Sites to LGBT Statistics". Young Conservatives. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016.
  25. Alberts, Thomas (May 26, 2015). "EXCLUSIVE: A Very Gay Amazon Gift Registry Created For The Very Anti-Gay Ted Cruz". The New Civil Rights Movement. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  26. Gunz, Rafaella (October 20, 2018). "Meet Konrad Juengling: the pro-LGBTI activist who is now 'coming out' as Atheist". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  27. Slowe, Desmond (January 2016). "Learning By Errors" (14). OutBoise. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  28. Nichols, James Michael (December 6, 2015). "This Children's ABC Book Perfectly Skewers Jeb Bush". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  29. Boyer, Kurt (June 12, 2018). "Paulette Jordan's Bid To Be First Native American Governor Gets Major LGBTQ Endorsement". The National Memo. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  30. Smith, Andrew (May 19, 2018). "Abraham Lincoln Relative Konrad Juengling Endorses Idaho's Paulette Jordan for Governor". Out Buzz. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  31. Rose, Tammy Marie (May 26, 2019). "Gay Rights Activist And Author Says He Feels Unsafe In Trump's America". VozWire. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  32. "Influential gay rights activist makes his choice for 2020: Kamala Harris". DeadState. June 14, 2019. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
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  34. Longmore, Annaleece (November 3, 2020). "How nervous are people for the 2020 US Election Results?". Empoword Journalism. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  35. Pandika, Melissa (November 13, 2020). "My post-election anxiety is off the charts". Mic. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  36. de Ferrer, Marthe (June 26, 2020). "Why Is Environmentalism More Popular In LGBTQ+ Communities?". EuroNews. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  37. Wong, Melissa (December 29, 2020). "US animal rights activist starts petition for Grenada frog". Loop News Caribbean. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  38. Holmes, Katie (June 19, 2020). "Are Zoos Ethical? 9 People Give Their Viewpoints". Outwit Trade. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
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  40. "Supporters". Million Dollar Vegan. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  41. Jones, Ja’han; Finley, Taryn; Alters, Kimberly (February 21, 2019). "5 Legitimate National Emergencies, According To Real Americans". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  42. Eferighe, Joshua (November 1, 2020). "Why Americans Are Rethinking Free Speech". OZY. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
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  44. Juengling, Konrad. "Latest User Posts". Geeks OUT. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  45. "The Writers" (19). OutBoise Magazine. May 2016. p. 21. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  46. Allen, Emily; Jensen, Timothy; Juengling, Konrad; Christy, Schroeder; Wiskus, Jenna (April 5, 2016). "Who's Paying For That?" (42). Boise Weekly. p. 4. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  47. Juengling, Konrad (June 25, 2017). "Reader Comment: Idaho needs mandatory sex education". Times News. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  48. Juengling, Konrad (June 17, 2017). "Guest column: Mandatory sex ed in Idaho". Post Register. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  49. Juengling, Konrad (October 2, 2018). "Making Fun of Sexual Assault Survivors Isn't Funny". Idaho Press. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  50. Juengling, Konrad (October 3, 2018). "Letter to the editor: Meridian Non-discrimination Ordinance". Idaho Press. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  51. "News from across the pond". Gscene. February 2, 2015. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  52. "Dutch Dispatch" (PDF). The Dutch Colonial Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  53. "Collector's Focus: Nudes in the Sanlam Art Collection". Creative Feel: 79. May 1, 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  54. Bloodworth, Adam (November 14, 2020). "LIFE Meet The Modern-Day Princess Diana Super Fans". Huff Post UK. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
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