Senator Larry Craig's arrest photo.____________
'The federal government is proposing regulations that would effectively kill adult social-networking sites [ such as Gay.com, BigMuscleBears, Manhunt, etc. ] . This is being done under the guise of fighting child pornography. You have until September 10 to object to these regulations. ... Obviously, none of this has anything to do with child pornography. Instead, it is a blatant attempt to end the ability of consenting adults to use adult social-networking sites to meet other people for sex. Obviously, if these regulations go into effect, they will kill this industry.' — From an Aug. 28 action alert from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. See tinyurl.com/2k4te9.
'According to the police report, the undercover officer set up his position in the restroom at noon on June 11. A few minutes later, Craig entered and sat in the stall next to him. Craig began tapping his right foot, touched his right foot to the left foot of the officer in the stall next to him and brushed his hand beneath the partition into the stall next to him. He was then arrested.' — From an Aug. 27 Washington Post report on the 'disorderly conduct' arrest of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, in a men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Craig pleaded guilty Aug. 8 and paid $575 in fines and fees. A 10-day jail sentence was stayed. In an Aug. 27 statement, Craig denied he engaged 'in any inappropriate conduct' and claimed the airport police 'misconstru [ ed ] my actions.' ( Note from this column for lesbian and straight readers: The gestures cited in the police report have specific meanings and are universally understood in the men's-room cruising scene across the globe. The foot-tapping means, 'I'm looking for sex.' The brushing of the hand beneath the partition translates, 'Get down on your knees and place your penis underneath the partition so I can touch or fellate it.' ) Craig was outed by blogactive.com last October. See tinyurl.com/yxqqgr. The Idaho Statesman daily newspaper finally published all its research on Craig's sex life on Aug. 28. See tinyurl.com/yrpqt2. The police report can be viewed at tinyurl.com/2sw3dw.
'What's up with elected officials like Senator Craig? They stand for so-called 'family values' and fight basic protections for gay people while furtively seeking other men for sex. Infuriating pathetic hypocrites. What more can you say? ... And by the way, why are Minneapolis tax dollars being used to have plainclothes police officers lurking idly in airport restroom stalls?' — National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman in response to the Aug. 27 news of the arrest of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, in a cruisy men's room.
'Senator Larry Craig ... has violated the public trust, not just with his inappropriate and illegal behavior, but in the subsequent explanation of his actions. Innocent people don't plead guilty. ... Senator Craig owes the people of Idaho a more credible explanation than what he has provided. [ A ] nd now he's questioning the honesty of law enforcement officers. ... This situation may have permanently damaged Craig's ability to continue serving in the U.S. Senate. Log Cabin strongly opposes outing. It's unproductive and distracts people from the real work of convincing more Americans to support equality for gay and lesbian people. It's not for me to speculate about Senator Craig's sexual orientation. However, it's clear that whether it's Jim McGreevey, Ted Haggard, or someone else, life in the closet often leads to destructive, harmful, and reckless behavior.' — Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Sammon in an Aug. 28 statement.
' [ T ] he fire chief is gay, the mayor has gay senior staff, a City Council member and a state senator are gay, a superior court judge is gay, the county's district attorney and innumerable lesser officials: gay, gay, gay. Forget 'Don't ask, don't tell.' In millennial San Diego, the motto these days is, 'Who knows, who cares?'' — Writer Eric Wolff in the San Diego weekly newspaper CityBEAT, July 18.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley