Grad student banned from teaching after threats, LSU says
A Louisiana state lawmaker who helped shepherd a bill banning sex-reassignment surgery for minors responded Friday to a threatening voicemail reportedly left for him by a graduate student working at Louisiana State University.
State Sen. Michael "Big Mike" Fesi, R-Terrebonne, told "The Ingraham Angle" he supported a successful override of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' veto "for the children" — and that the grad student, identified as Marcus Venable, was "off-the-wall" in a message that included a promise to make "a martini from the tears of b---hurt conservatives."
"I just wanted to say, ‘Congratulations to our state Sen. ‘Big Mike’ Fesi. And that f---ing moron voted to make things worse for people who are already suffering, you fat f----g piece of s---," the voicemail stated.
"You did not produce any g------ evidence to support the claims you made about people being harmed by transgender care, yet we’ve had tons of empirical evidence telling us there’s an increased suicide risk for people who don’t get this care. So, you big, fat-headed m-----------, I can’t wait to read your name in the f-----g obituary."
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A view of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
On "The Ingraham Angle," Fesi said he elected not to engage the constituent, but instead let the authorities analyze the correspondence.
"I just took it and decided just to turn it over to state police and let them handle it," he said.
Host Laura Ingraham said Venable did not respond to a request for comment from "The Ingraham Angle," but that the school did tell the program the message "crossed the line."
"As a university, we foster open and respectful dialogue. Like everyone, graduate students with teaching assignments have the right to express their opinions, but this profanity-filled, threatening call crossed the line," LSU said in a statement to the "Angle."
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"This does not exhibit the character we expect of someone given the privilege of teaching as part of their graduate assistantship," the school stated. "The student will be allowed to continue their studies but will not be extended the opportunity to teach in the future."
Ingraham noted how Bel Edwards offered a much less virulent response to the veto, saying the bill "needlessly harms a very small population of vulnerable children, their families and their health care professionals." The governor added he expects the courts to nullify the law.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and a girl holding a sign reading "Leave Us Alone" among anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrators. (Fox News)
Fesi said Bel Edwards needs to view some of the "evidence" he analyzed when the bill was first floated two years ago "because there was a lot of trauma going on."
"I got a lot of emails coming in begging me to make sure this bill passes, and that's why I worked so hard this session. When it got through the House, it got killed in the Senate again, and I went to my Senate president and asked him, ‘Can I please get it in another committee?’ He said, 'If you get the votes on the floor, I'll make it happen.' And that's what we did."
The Louisiana State Police told Baton Rouge's CBS affiliate this week that they are aware of the voicemail and "investigating the complaint — it is active and ongoing."
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to
