May 25, 2006   | COMMENTS     

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey once resorted to anonymous trysts with men at highway rest stops, according to recently released excerpts from his memoir being released later this year. McGreevey — who proclaimed himself “a gay American” in 2004 while announcing his impending resignation as governor — describes his long struggle with his homosexuality in the book “The Confession.” McGreevey wrote that he engaged in the secret encounters because he feared having a relationship with a man would ruin his chances of success as a politician. “So, instead, I settled for the detached anonymity of bookstores and rest stops — a compromise, but one that was wholly unfulfilling and morally unsatisfactory,” McGreevey wrote. The book does not explain if the activities extended into his time as governor and do not detail his two marriages. It also does not delve into the scandal, which became public knowledge during an August 2004 news conference in which McGreevey acknowledged an affair with another man, said to be a former aide, and said he would resign in coming months. ReganBooks, a division of HarperCollins, is paying the 48-year-old McGreevey up to $500,000 for the 384-page memoir.

Mass. Senate moves to take
gay youth panel from Romney

BOSTON (AP) — More than a dozen Senate lawmakers, including three Republicans, are backing a proposed budget amendment that would create a new state commission on gay and lesbian youth out of the reach of Gov. Mitt Romney. Romney angered many activists and lawmakers when he flirted with the idea earlier this month of abolishing the 14-year-old commission, the first of its kind in the nation, after a press release announcing a youth gay pride march was issued without the administration’s blessing. Instead of killing the commission, formed by fellow-Republican predecessor William Weld, Romney ordered it to refocus on its core mission of suicide prevention. Romney’s decision to keep the commission drew fire from its critics, who charged he had caved in to pressure from gay rights activists. The senate amendment would create a 27-member commission, none of whom would be directly appointed by the governor.

Idaho man wants ‘Joy of
Gay Sex’ pulled from library

NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — A Nampa man has asked the Nampa City Council to remove “The Joy of Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex” from the city’s public library. Randy Jackson says the books should be removed or put where children can’t get them. He twice asked the Nampa Public Library board to remove the books without success. The council May 15 took no action but told Randy Jackson and about 15 of his supporters that the Library Board will reconsider. ‘’We have a lot of kids in there,’’ said Nampa Mayor Tom Dale. ‘’We need to have a safe place for them.’’ Library Board Chair Sharon Brooks says the board’s decision to keep the books is based on the principle of freedom of information rather than a particular book. 

Snippet of ‘Brokeback Mountain’
shown in high school film class

CANNONSBURG, Ky. (AP) — An English teacher at an eastern Kentucky school hampered by division over gay issues showed a short snippet of “Brokeback Mountain” to her students. About 2 1/2 minutes of the film was shown two weeks ago in a senior cinematography class at Boyd County High School, Superintendent Howard K. Osborne said. The brief showing of the film upset at least one parent who had a student in the class. Nothing with sexual content was shown. Osborne said the film won’t be shown again at the school. He declined to say if any action was taken against the teacher who showed the film. Students in Boyd County have been divided in recent years over gay issues since a group of students petitioned to form a gay awareness club at the high school in 2002.

Vermont governor vetoes
gender discrimination bill

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Gov. James Douglas on May 17 vetoed a bill that would have made Vermont the eighth state to outlaw discrimination based on gender identity or expression, the Times-Argus reported May 18. The bill “makes significant revisions to all of Vermont’s anti-discrimination laws in order to include, as a protected class, individuals who do not conform to sexual stereotypes,” Douglas said. “I am concerned [the bill] did not receive the kind of careful scrutiny and study that would be expected.” The veto was greeted with disappointment from the RU12? Community Center in Burlington. “The Legislature obviously felt very strongly that they wanted to offer these protections,” the center’s leader Christopher Kauffman said. “Too bad the governor didn’t also take this view.”