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Open the closets on Capitol Hill
Silence about gay politicians is a relic of an era when gayness meant secrecy and shame. It's a disservice to gay people, to voters, and to the politicians themselves.
By Louis Bayard [2006-10-07]

  • Boys vs. Men

    In this whole discussion about whether Foley was attracted to boys or young men, whether he's gay or a pedophile, it's probably worth noting that in Washington DC (where the majority of his actions presumably took place), the age of consent is 16. And pages, if I remember correctly, must be at least 16 years old (one may be forgiven for cynically wondering if congresspeople wanted to make sure they'd never be vulnerable to statutory rape charges).

    In other words, even if Foley had sex with a page, that action by itself was not illegal, and would not be classified as a pedophile act, it seems.

    I'm not excusing it, mind you -- there's still a huge power imbalance between a congressperson and a page, and it sure seems like his attentions were unwanted by the page -- but "attracted to boys" is so far something we don't seem to have much evidence for.

    -roy

    -- royrapoport
    [Read royrapoport's other letters]
    Friday, October 6, 2006 08:15 PM
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