Schvantz Pulls Out the Big Guns: Staffer's 'Small Penis' Sign Leaves Nick Shirley Standing Tall

Nick Shirley is a heroic journalist to those on the right, while those on the left dismiss him as a "Right wing agitator." Either way he gets a rise from people.

On a stiff August afternoon outside the California State Capitol, the independent reporter stood tall and erect on the sidewalk, thrusting his microphone into the faces of lawmakers while probing Assembly Bill 2624. Critics had already dubbed the measure the "Stop Nick Shirley Act," claiming Democrats were trying to soft-pedal scrutiny of immigrant-run outfits and keep certain packages of alleged fraud under wraps. Shirley wasn't having it. He pressed hard, determined not to let the bill shaft the public's right to know.

That's when Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor and a high-paid Democratic organ of the Sacramento party machine, came barreling in with a truly ballsy move. The $207,000-a-year staffer whipped out a sign that left little to the imagination: "Allegedly Nick Shirley Has a Small Penis. Prove Me Wrong." Schanz waved it around like a flagpole, cockily announcing to the crowd that the journalist was allegedly packing light. It was a pure dick move-crude, public, and designed to deflate the interview on the spot.

Shirley didn't go soft. He shot back that Schanz had never laid eyes on the goods in question and never would, calling the whole stunt remarkably immature for a grown man in a position of power. The exchange got plenty of people hard with laughter (or outrage), and video of the interruption quickly went viral, swelling online traffic to record lengths. Multiple HR complaints soon landed in the Legislature's inbox, leaving Schanz facing the prospect of serious consequences for his oversized attempt at humiliation.

The confrontation only enlarged the growing debate over AB 2624. Supporters insisted the bill simply protected vulnerable members of immigration-support organizations from online harassment. Opponents argued it was a rigid attempt to limpen investigative journalism that had already exposed what they called widespread taxpayer waste. Either way, the measure had already passed both houses and now rested on Governor Newsom's desk, waiting for the final stroke of the pen.

Undeterred, Shirley decided it was time to rally the troops. He called for a big public gathering on the Capitol steps in Sacramento on August 26 at 11 a.m., urging supporters to show up in force and make some noise against the so-called Stop Nick Shirley Act. "Come," he told his followers-promising a stiff resistance and a chance to stand firm against what he viewed as an effort to cut short the public's view. Whether you think he's a truth-teller or a professional agitator, one thing is clear: Nick Shirley continues to get a rise out of California politics, and on the 26th he plans to prove that this particular story is far from over.

"Imagine if a Republican staffer confronted a female journalist and said “Allegedly Rebecca has small boobs, prove me wrong," tweeted Shirley. "Could you imagine the staffer would be fired and probably jailed. A gay man doing this to a straight man, no problem for California."