• Sweden edition

Politician blames transvestite alter ego for sunny island freebie

Published: 10 Feb 10 16:54 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24908/20100210/

High profile Centre Party member of parliament Fredrick Federley passed the buck to Ursula, his transvestite alter ego, when put on the spot for accepting an all expenses paid trip to Gran Canaria.

The politician told newspaper Aftonbladet that his trip in early January was sponsored by around ten different companies, including budget airline Norwegian.

Pressed by the newspaper on why he had accepted the paid trip, despite claims that he generally refused offers from the airline industry, Federley replied:

"Well, this was pretty much tied to my drag personality, Ursula. It's not me as a member of parliament doing this; it's more a case of me travelling as my drag personality," he said.

Federley has not made any secret of his predilection for cross-dressing, recently arriving as Ursula at the Swedish Mr Gay competition.

Dismayed by the newspaper's line of questioning, Federley dismissed what he felt was an insinuation that he had only taken on the job for the sake of a free holiday in the sun at a newly built four-star hotel.

"Sometimes I get asked if I want to do something extra that has nothing at all to do with my parliamentary work. If it doesn't clash with the job, I'll take on a commission. And like anybody else I'll ask to be paid for it," he writes on his personal website.

Federley explained that the purpose of the trip was to prepare travel tips for people intending to travel to the Spanish island's annual drag queen carnival. The invitation had come from gay community website Hanky.se where the politician maintains a blog, the title of which translates as "The Other Side of Federley".

Though apparently baffled by media interest in his extra-curricular activities, the MP was sure to maintain his keen business instinct.

"Maybe this will mean more publicity for Ursula, which in turn will lead to more work," he writes.

Paul O'Mahony (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6513)

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18:32 February 10, 2010 by livinginsweden
Sad to see Swedish politicians falling into the same pile of skit as british, ozzy, american and third world country despots and dictators... .. scum who take big company money and went for the sleezzzzz ride down hill...
19:14 February 10, 2010 by Nemesis
OK, so a politician is a transvestite, so what. Finding a politician that is not a transvestite would probably be headline news.

A suggestion. Instead of the playground giggling by the journalists in the local, how about some articles that go in depth into politics, economics, science, current events, etc.
20:56 February 10, 2010 by Alex Coman
If he has a double personality, which is a psychological problem, he must go home. He is not good for his job, as a politician.

If he is just a liar without imagination, he must go home, his job is way too much for somebody like him.

In fact, as a professional I can say: he might be just a punk!
23:27 February 10, 2010 by Gwrhyr
I'm a bit disturbed by the negative responses.
01:15 February 11, 2010 by ajs42548
Ok, don't put him in jail, put Ursula in jail.
05:21 February 11, 2010 by wenddiver
When you have men dieing for Sweden in a combat zone, do you reallyb elieve this is the leadership the country deserves???????
12:37 February 11, 2010 by Zatoichi
What a ghastly and morally bankrupt society Sweden must be to have this piece of trash representing them. Makes me want to puke.
16:47 February 11, 2010 by Greg in Canada
At least it's an original excuse. Give the guy points for trying.
18:36 February 11, 2010 by scandinavian leather
@greg in canada:

"At least it's an original excuse. Give the guy points for trying. "

Kinda like Ben Johnson?
03:36 February 12, 2010 by Nordicreb
Note to Barney Frank: "You're not the sickest politician around anymore".
17:44 February 12, 2010 by ThureWallenberg
All politicians have extra jobs for which they get paid. Why shouldn't this one?
18:36 February 12, 2010 by Nemesis
@ Kent,

If someone is not white hetero anglo saxon male, so what, Grow up.

@ Greg in Canada

Good point, never thought of that one.

Also at least he has a harmelss hobby:)

I must admit it is original and outside the box. A bit of outside the box thinking might help Sverige.

@ dammen

A person being a transvestite is nothing to do with there ability to run a country. It is a harmless hobby. He is not sick for being a transvestite.

It does not matter if a person is a diasbled black islamic bisexual drag queen in government. What matters is there ability to make goods decisions in government.

If a person makes good decisions I will vote for them. There personal life is there own business.

A persons personal life is only an issue if the person is someone who complains about and tries to interfere in everyone's personal life with family values stuff, which usually means the family values campaigner is a paedophile or has a thing for rent boys. They I think they should be exposed for being a hypocrite.

Federly is out there doing his thing. So what. I hope he enjoys himself. Personally I have known far better looking drag queens in Belfast.

Also I stand by what I said earlier, the local, needs to stop scraping the bottom fo the barrel and start cdovering the issues. English speaking ex-pats to Sverige are not all retarted imbeciles, which the local only seems to be catering for.

@ Nordicreb

Barney Frank is one of the sickest around. He is one of the people responsible for removing banking regualtions under Clinton and unleashing the banks in an unregulated frenzy. As far as I am concerned he should be tried with his cohorts for destroying so many lives for that action. Personally I would love to put Barney Frank in a room with a thousand people who have lost there homes due to his actions. That would wake the narrow minded, bigot up.
07:53 February 13, 2010 by wenddiver
I stand by my belief that he is not a very good decision maker. Exhibit A his own photo. I also see no corelation between being disabled and being a trasvestite (a social degenaracy), an Islamist ( a violent ideology of Civil rights violations) or a drag Queen (fashionably ignorant).

The belief that anyone advocating moral lifestyles is a hypocrite or a pedaphile lacks any basis of fact in my culture.

My neighbors in the US are still heterosexual and big advocates off the whole male, female thing. Wy can't we all just enjoy that, without the men in dresses and scaring the children???? I think everybody in Sweden and the world would be happier if they stuck to that.
10:06 February 13, 2010 by Nemesis
@ wenddiver

Your need to live your puritan lifestyle choice is noted.

Sweden is in Europe, not the USA. There is over 6 billion people outside the USA.

This may suprise you, someone can belong to more than one group in society.

In the USA family values people usually end up in the newspapers at some point, after being caugth is some sort of weird sexual act.

Transvestites only scare children, if parents make them into something scary in the childs mind by teaching the chld prejudice is acceptable.
15:58 February 14, 2010 by Ugly A
This man is not trustworthy
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