THE FXBG ADVANCE WEDNESDAY 9/30/26 MIDMORNING POST
By Steve Watkins, ADVANCE EDITOR
On Sunday, Sept. 21, The Advance reported that Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors member Drew Mullins had made repeated homophobic and other offensive posts on X, one of which, dated Sept. 8, called Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico a “Commie homo” who should “GFYS.”
Another message that Mullins reposted on X said that the “G” on an LGBTQ pride flag stands for “groomers.” In still other recent posts, Mullins complained about the number of Spanish-speaking students in public schools, said he was shocked that a Black male was the lone juror who voted to convict a White woman in a murder trial, and negatively compared Indian women to Hispanic women.
Mullins’s account also contained homophobic posts about federal Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents, derogatory posts about women professionals and local police, and conspiracy theory posts and reposts about FBI agents supposedly involved in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Mullins didn’t respond to The Advance’s questions about the posts, or about other comments he’d made at a recent data-center event. Immediately after the questions were sent to his Board of Supervisors email he block public access to his X account.
Public concerns about Mullins’ posts didn’t end there, however, as two speakers called him out for them during public comments at the Sept. 22 meeting of the Board of Supervisors. The speakers also called on the Board to hold Mullins accountable for the offensive posts.
“I honestly didn’t plan to speak tonight,” said Spotsylvania resident Kelly Shafer, “but I’ve been made aware of things that have been recently posted online by members of this board, and I have to say that I am truly saddened by what I’ve seen.
“What’s being posted are openly misogynistic, racist, homophobia, and incredibly demeaning toward other humans being. I’d read them now, but I am entirely too embarrassed to do so, so I’ll send them to you, Supervisor [Lori] Hayes, as my [Lee Hill District] supervisor. When these things are being publicly associated with people who hold elected office in this county, it affects me differently because you don’t just represent the people you agree with, you represent all of us. You represent the person who voted for you and the person who absolutely did not.
“And as a parent, I honestly struggle with how I’m supposed to explain some of this hatred to my children when I’m seeing it come from people who hold positions of leadership in their own community. I’ve spent so much time trying to understand the decisions being made by this board surrounding these enormous data center projects. I’ve tried to understand how we can continue approving things when so many people are telling you that they are worried about what it means for their homes, families, quality of life, and community. So when I see this kind of disregard for people being expressed publicly by our very own board members sitting up here tonight, I can’t help but question where this is a disconnect between the people you represent and the people you choose to be worthy.”
Another Spotsy resident, Cindy Staats, followed Shafer.
“In an article dated September 21, The Fredericksburg Advance reported on Mr. Mullins’ public posts on a public platform. While I will not expound on these posts here, I do encourage the public and all board members to read the article, review the posts, and then to review his public platform. Even a cursory review will not only be enlightening, but will also be found to be highly inappropriate for an elected official of Spotsylvania county.
“These posts certainly give the impression that some members of Mr. Mullins’ constituency would not be afforded their due and proper consideration of their concerns on issues they raised to Mr. Mullins and the board. I find this to be quite troubling and ask Mr. Mullins, ‘What assurances do your constituents have that this is not the case?’ For these reasons, I ask the full board to look into Mr. Mullins’ behavior and whether or not it violated the county’s code of conduct. Please let me know if I’m misinformed.”
Later in the meeting, Mullins apologized, sort of, for social media posts he “might have made,” or “if I hurt someone’s feelings,” or “if I said something that offended anyone regardless of how I feel about it.”
Mullins claimed that his X account was actually “a parody account”—he said it twice—perhaps to suggest that someone else wrote the offensive comments, or perhaps to suggest that in writing the offensive comments himself Mullins was intending to parody someone else, or perhaps to suggest that in writing the offensive comments he was intending to parody a version of himself. It wasn’t clear.
X requires that all parody accounts be clearly labeled “PARODY.” Mullins’ X account—from which he says he’s “Been weaning myself off of… so this might be a good opportunity just to nuke the whole thing”—has no such designation.
Staats later told The Advance that Mullins approached her after the meeting to say he would “do better” in the future. Board Chair Lori Hayes emailed Staats on Monday, Staats said, “stating that given [Mullins’] public apology no further action is supported at this time.”
Here’s the text of Mullins’ “apology”:
“Every now and then, you realize you’re a flawed person, and I was hoping the citizens that had comments about social media posts I might have made were still here. I think some of them left. I’m not going to make an excuse for anything. I play rough. It’s a parody account, but it’s no excuse for that. Okay? Just want you to know that. But more importantly, I had a few moments to reflect on what was brought to my attention.
“In my past life, I played pretty rough and said whatever I thought. And sometimes we have to reflect on past actions, and I just want to say that I’m sorry if I hurt someone’s feelings or if I said something that offended anyone regardless of how I feel about it and regardless if it’s a parody account.
“So what’s changed for me, and this is becoming more and more part of my life, is in the last couple of years, I’ve found Jesus Christ as my savior. So that’s why I’m saying what I’m saying to you now because I truly mean it if I hurt someone’s feelings or said something inappropriate.
“I’d like to think that some of those things were in the past, but regardless, I own whatever’s out there. It’s my word. So I just want people to know that, and I’ll do better from now on. Been weaning myself off of X anyway, so this might be a good opportunity just to nuke the whole thing, you know, and just move on. Since I don’t have a Book of Faces account, nothing good comes out of that anyways.”
Mullins concluded by asking for “grace” and repeating that he would “do better.”
The Advance contacted Mullins through email with several follow-up questions, none of which he has answered.
Hey Drew,
Several people contacted me about your comments at the last board meeting, and I’m particularly interested in your description of your X account as a “Parody Account.” In what way do you mean that yours was/is a “parody account,” and if what you’re trying to say is that someone else set it up to make fun of you or whatever, how then did you shut it down, as you said in the meeting?
I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t explicitly disavow or apologize in your comments for any of the offensive comments and posts and reposts you made online, so I’m also curious about that. They were, of course, homophobic, misogynistic, racist, ethnically offensive, as you know.
You mentioned that you found Jesus Christ a few years ago, yet these posts were as recent as this past week. How do you square your Christianity with such hateful posts? When you asked for “grace,” did you consider yourself to have atoned for these transgressions, or do you not consider them transgressions?
Your “apology” had a lot of “if I” and “I might have” and “if anyone was offended” and “parody account” references, none of which sound like someone owning the offensive things they posted. What can you tell me about your thought process in all of this?
And by “rough language” in your past, was that meant to explain, or perhaps even excuse, the offensive posts? How so?
How have your fellow board members responded to these disclosures about you and your social media posts, especially the very recent ones, post-Christian conversion?
Are you considering an honest and genuine acknowledgement of and apology for all these offensive posts?
Your X account says you have more than 6,000 followers. Have you posted a disavowal and apology to them—and can you send me a screenshot?
Once again, I’m happy to talk on the phone, or in person, or await your email response.
You can find and watch the Sept. 22, 2026 Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors meeting HERE. Mullins’ comments begin at 1:30:50.
And you can find some of Mullins’ X posts and reposts on a Reddit thread HERE.
***
Steve Watkins is editor of The FXBG Advance.
People like to say, “You don’t know what’s in someone’s heart.” And technically, that’s true. But at some point, a person’s words and actions are how they show us what’s in their heart.
When someone repeatedly chooses to demean people because of their race, gender, ethnicity, or who they love, we don’t have to pretend those words tell us nothing about who they are. Especially when that person is an elected official entrusted to represent everyone in the community.
Grace is important. So is forgiveness. But neither one means ignoring a pattern of behavior or accepting an apology that never really acknowledges what was said or why it was wrong.
You may not be able to see directly into someone’s heart, but you can certainly pay attention to what they consistently put out into the world.
And thank you for continuing to report on this and ask the questions that need to be asked. Local journalism matters, especially when it holds public officials accountable and keeps the community informed.
The prior commentator put it perfectly, and I thank you as well:
"And thank you for continuing to report on this and ask the questions that need to be asked. Local journalism matters, especially when it holds public officials accountable and keeps the community informed."