Update, Jan 26: Portland Mayor Sam Adams will not resign, according to a statement posted on his website (portlandonline.com/mayor/):
“I know I have made big mistakes. I know I have let you down. And I ask for your forgiveness.
I believe I still have a very positive contribution to make — to put to work the 20 years of public service to the good of Portland. And as I do this, I pledge to you: I will work harder than I have ever worked before to make sure Portland meets our challenges.”
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Original story, posted Jan 23:
Supporters are urging gay Portland Mayor Sam Adams to reject calls for his resignation, after he revealed this week that he had a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old man in 2005.
Adams spent the past year and a half denying allegations that he had a sexual relationship with Beau Breedlove, a legislative intern. But on Monday, a local newspaper confronted Adams with details about the mayor’s private sex life, and Adams told the paper that he had lied. He held a press conference on Tuesday to apologize and release a statement:
“In the past, I have characterized my relationship with Beau Breedlove as purely non-sexual,” he said. “That is not true. Beau Breedlove and I had a sexual relationship for a few months in the summer of 2005 after he turned 18 years of age. I should have been honest at the time about the true nature of my relationship with Beau Breedlove when questions about my relationship with him first surfaced publicly in October 2007. In fact, Beau encouraged me to be honest about the facts of our relationship. I am deeply sorry that I asked him to lie for me.”
Some have called for Adams’ resignation, including Portland’s gay publication Just Out. On Jan 21, the Oregon Department of Justice said it was launching a criminal investigation. The age of consent is 18 in Oregon.
As of Jan 23, Adams has not decided if he will resign, but many are urging him to stay on and face the criticism directly. More than 2,000 have joined a Facebook group in support of Adams, and a rally is planned for Jan 23 outside Portland City Hall. Sex columnist Dan Savage is attending the rally, and Milk director Gus Van Sant sent a statement of support.
Joshua Gibson, a Portland gay blogger, says gays need to stop apologizing for our sexuality.
“Gay sex gets everyone hot and bothered,” says Gibson on his blog Fagistan. “I love when people get all google-eyed and sweaty while screeching ‘He lied to us!’ or ‘He’s such a hypocrite!’ As much as those lines of reasoning are valid, they just serve as a way to cover up for homophobic gay-sex anxiety. We were willing to have a gay mayor as long as we didn’t have to consider the fact that he actually crams his cock into buttholes! Add to that the silly, repugnant attempt to transform 17-year-olds into ‘children’ by denying them the basic, fundamental human right to control their own sexual lives and you’ve got the good old ‘Gay Molester Bogeyman’ on your hands.”
Breedlove also released a statement, in which he says that the overwhelming news coverage has been stressful.
“I would like to publicly apologize to those who were negatively affected by my mishandling of the situation during the 2007 mayoral campaign,” he says. “Sam Adams has always been a positive influence and friend to me. He has many outstanding qualities to bring to his position as Mayor of the City of Portland and I wish nothing but the best for him.”
Join the Support Sam Adams Facebook group.
Rally in support of Mayor Sam Adams.
Fri, Jan 23, 2009.
5:30pm – 6:30pm.
Portland City Hall.
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