Democratic congressional candidate Christopher Gallant acknowledged Monday that explicit photos from a 2010 Mr. S Leather ad campaign are legitimate. The images, published by The New York Post and Messenger Papers, show Gallant, 37, shirtless in leather bondage gear and in intimate situations with another man. Gallant, an openly gay military pilot, former air traffic controller, and volunteer firefighter, is challenging Republican Representative Nick La Lota in New York's First District covering eastern Suffolk County. La Lota won the seat by 10 points in 2024, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considers it "in play."

Gallant's lawyer, Sara Azari, stated the photos were from a private, consensual session with his then-partner during a committed four-year relationship, noting Gallant was friends with the Mr. S Leather owner. Gallant texted supporters: "I'm not embarrassed or ashamed — I have always been unapologetically me," adding the photos don't affect his qualifications to "pilot a Blackhawk helicopter" or "safely traffic commercial airliners."

The Suffolk County Conservative Party used the photos to question Gallant's fitness for office, while the Suffolk County Democratic Committee defended him, posting a photo of Gallant in military fatigues and accusing a "Republican political hack" of planting the story. Chairman Richard Schaffer said Gallant "was always open and honest about who he is," though he didn't address whether the party knew about the photos during vetting.