Mayor Jim West
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Other casualties on the slippery slopes
Anyone who thinks the gay movement has carved out safe space for homosex amongst consenting adults should think twice-- all across the country right-wing politicians,
ambitious prosecutors, and unscrupulous media are once again targeting adult gay men for prosecution under archaic anti-sex laws and life-destroying media smears. Are we rushing back to
the persecution and paranoia of the 1950s? Consider these cases:
Miami, Florida--
Arthur E. Teele
Teele was a controversial black activist and former Miami and Dade County commissioner. He was married, ostensibly straight, and a maverick Republican. The
Miami Herald ran articles about his possible connection to corruption and fraud. On July 28, 2005, a "progressive" alternative weekly,
Miami New Times, ran a piece headlined, "Tails of Teele: Sleaze Stories,"
about Teele's alleged sex with male hustlers and other wrong-doings. The same day, Teele went to the
Herald and dialed star columnist Jim DeFede, for whom he was a confidential source.
Without permission, DeFede taped their conversation. Teele told DeFede his reaction to the scandal: "I'm dead in the water." Moments later he shot himself in the head at
Herald headquarters.
The Herald ran a photo of Teele with blood flowing from his head. It fired DeFede, alleging he broke Florida law by taping Teele. Rep. Alcee Hastings led a protest at the
Herald by Black community activists against
Herald coverage. Miami New Times
reporter, Francisco Alvarado, defended his coverage as "what good journalists do."
Minersville, Pennsylvania--
Marcus Wayman.
In 1999, when Wayman was an 18-year-old high school football player, he was found parked in a car with a 17-year old male fellow student. Police alleged sexual activity and
underage drinking and arrested Wayman-- who committed suicide after police told family members he was gay. The family sued successfully, and a Federal Court of Appeals ruled that police
had violated Wayman's privacy by informing the family. Minersville is near Baltimore and the story was prominently covered by the
Sun.
Spokane, Washington--
Mayor Jim West
Jim West is the Republican mayor of Spokane, Washington. He opposed all gay/lesbian rights and related legislation, speaking out against homosexuality. On May 5, 2005, the
Spokane Spokesman-Review, a conservative daily that supported West, published the first of several articles detailing West's relationships with young gay men (18-24) whom they said he met
while "trolling" online through www.gay.com and other chatlines, and whom the paper said West offered gifts, city jobs, and other perks. They also alleged West "sexually molested" teenage
boys while a Boy Scout leader and Sheriff's deputy in the 1970s. The key to their story was a "forensic expert" hired to pose on-line as an 18-year old man to entrap West. The fictional
character later told West he was only 17. West did not suggest they meet until after he reached 18, and did not propose sex.
West admits he had relationships with men of legal age whom he met online, but denies using his office improperly. He "flatly denies" any sex with under-age males.
The Spokesman-Review has published a series of exposés about West's friends, including a Scoutmaster and a deputy sheriff who committed suicide in the 1980s after accusations
of sex with teenagers The Spokesman-Review named other prominent men in Spokane from priests and a bishop to teachers, boy scout leaders and other youth workers, as part of a "sex
ring preying on young boys," and continued to accuse West of sex with teens in the 1970s.
Three months after the exposé began, there are no civil or criminal complaints against West.
Toronto, Ontario-- Robert Schisler
Here, a different outcome. Robert Schisler is an openly gay man prominent in gay organizations. In 1999, he was parked in his van on a downtown street with a young man, alleged
to be a hustler, "snuggling" as he puts it. There was a banging on the van and he saw men in plainclothes threatening the vehicle. He feared a bashing and raced off. Police gave chase
and captured him blocks away. They claim he put up a fight, but he denied that. He was severely beaten. After Schisler complained to the Human Rights Commission, initial charges of public
sex and assaulting an officer were dropped. Finally in December, 2004, a ruling in his favor awarded him nearly a half million dollars, but the government is appealing the decision. (See
Toronto's gay paper Xtra, December 2004 and January 2005.)
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