'Anti-gay' Republican candidate outed as having worked as a DRAG QUEEN under the name 'Miss Mona Sinclair'

Steve Wiles, 34, is a conservative North Carolina state Senate candidate



He has been an outspoken supporter of the state's same-sex marriage ban

It's been revealed he worked as a female impersonator and drag show emcee at the now-defunct Club Odyssey from 2002 to 2010

He said he quit because of his strong Christian beliefs

He initially denied his affiliation with the club

Wiles now works as a real estate agent

A North Carolina Republican candidate campaigning against same-sex marriage has been outed as a former drag queen performer known as 'Miss Mona Sinclair'.



Steve Wiles, a conservative state Senate candidate, donned a wig and fake lashes for eight years at the now defunct gay-friendly lounge Club Odyssey, where he directed and emceed a weekly drag show.



The club's former owner Randy Duggins told Winston-Salem Journal he broke his silence because he wants voters to know that Wiles is, he believes, a 'hypocrite' and 'liar'.



Wiles, 34, initially denied the bombshell allegations, but came out yesterday admitting his past.



'For me, from a religious standpoint, just for my life, for me, it just was not something that I wanted to continue,' the fledgling politician told Business Insider about being a drag queen.



'Of course it was an embarrassment, but you know, you move on. You live life, and you change, and you make yourself what you want yourself to be. And that's where I am now.'



Revelation: Outspoken gay marriage opponent Steve Wiles, 34 (pictured) has been outed as having worked as a drag queen performer known as 'Miss Mona Sinclair'

Wiles, who doesn't consider himself 'anti-gay', supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in North Carolina. He considers marriage a religious institution, which he argues makes gay marriage un-Christian.



The real estate agent is competing against two other GOP candidates in a competitive primary scheduled for Tuesday, with observers noting he is up against well-connected politicos.



Wiles has not indicated whether he believes news of his past will hurt his chances, but said he has no intention of quitting.



Today, he responded to his critics in a long post on Facebook (see below) in which he claimed he 'is for' all Americans, regardless of their sexuality, and believes 'state control of the institution of marriage is unconstitutional'.

Wiles, who refuses to comment on his own sexuality, said that he doesn't believe being against same-sex marriage is the same thing as being anti-gay.

'I don't really understand how you can separate the fact that marriage is a religious institution,' Wiles told Business Insider.



However to his former boss Randy Duggins, Wiles' refusal to acknowledge his former days as a female impersonator while opposing marriage equality is a sign of hypocrisy.



Reaction: Steve Wiles today posted a response to his critics on his Facebook page, saying that he makes mistakes but tries to live a life that reflects his beliefs

Duggins told Winston-Salem Journal that Wiles worked at the gay club from 2002 to 2010.



'I recognized his picture when I was looking in the paper. That’s definitely him. He has aged some, but that’s him,' Duggins said. 'I have no ax to grind against him. I just think he's a liar.'

The Winston Salem-Journal article reported Wiles emceed a show at Club Odyssey around '2001 and 2002'. He said, prior to that, Wiles was a regular visitor in the 1990s.

According to the Journal, Wiles was also listed on the 'Miss Gay America' site as a 'former promoter of Miss Gay Eastern States America and a city preliminary promoter for Miss Gay North Carolina America'.



The webpage also said that Wiles was suspended for 'conduct unbecoming to a promoter of the Miss Gay America pageant system'.

Wiles maintains that the role was 'just something I didn't want to continue'.



While he now views his past as a drag queen as 'an embarrassment' and at odds with his Christian beliefs, he said there were positive things he took away from the experience.

'I learned a lot of lessons, some of them, well most of them, the hard way,' Wiles said.

Wiles works as a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Triad, Realtors, in Belews Creek, North Carolina.

Denial: Republican Senate hopeful Steve Wiles (pictured left and right) initially denied reports he once worked as a drag queen



Scene: Political hopeful Steve Wiles admitted he used to perform as drag queen 'Miss Mona Sinclair' at the now defunct gay-friendly bar Club Odyssey in Winston, North Carolina (pictured in August 2012)

Gay Star News reported that, following the publication of the Journal article, Wiles posted a message to Facebook which was later removed:

'I'm sure many of you saw my glowing recommendation in the Winston Salem Journal - I'd like to apologize to everyone because, unlike the currently appointed NC Senator in District 31, I made mistakes,' he allegedly wrote.

'My job was embarrassing - I had to have a job! Nobody died, leaving me a millionaire capable of living in North Carolina's most expensive neighborhood. One thing I will say, I learned from my mistakes...