Honey Boo Boo’s Uncle Poodle: ‘I’m Gay, But I’m As Redneck As I Can Get’

Lee Thompson, better known as “Uncle Poodle” on TLC’s oddly-famous reality show, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” says, “I’m gay, but I’m as redneck as I can get, and we want to be somewhere we can fish and jump on a four-wheeler, go hog wallowing,” a profile by the Georgia Voice reports:

Lee Thompson married his husband, Josh, this past August (“We just decided to do it that morning, but it wasn’t a shotgun wedding,” he promises.) The ceremony was presided over by his stepfather, and held in the family living room.

A great time was had by all. There was a wedding cake fight afterward. They neglected to take pictures, so they’ve decided to have another one. They’re happy where they are, and Thompson believes the image of small-town gay life could use an update.

“Things are changing. My husband and I live in Milledgeville because we want to be out in the country. I’m gay, but I’m as redneck as I can get, and we want to be somewhere we can fish and jump on a four-wheeler, go hog wallowing. There’s probably 40 or 50 of us — gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered people — around here, they’re all open about it, everybody knows it,” he says.

“It’s not like there’s a gay bar here. We go to the same bars as everybody else, we’re all part of the same community… If there’s people who have a problem with it, they keep it to themselves, just like if I have a problem with them, I keep it to myself.”

“But,” he adds, “If you want people to accept you, you have to show you don’t have a problem with yourself and just be up front about who you are. If you do, you earn people’s respect. If everybody would just go on and do that, ignorant people couldn’t cause so many problems. I know this is how I was born and I don’t need to explain it to anybody. I live my life for who I am. That’s why ‘Born This Way’ is gonna be my next tattoo.”

It appears being unapologetically yourself is a family trait.

“I love Alana, she’s my heart, and she tells it just like it is. That’s why people love the show,” Thompson says. “We’re all rednecks, we cut up and make fun, but we love each other and we tell the truth. That’s how you’re supposed to be with your family. Just real.”