Minn. Lawmaker Involved in Sex Scandal Says He Won't Seek Re-Election

KSTP-TV ^ | 08/22/2012 6:15 PM | Leslie Rolander

[Hunton Peck]

“Is this guy married?”

I don’t think so. At least, I can find no references to a wife or kids in any story about him

[Senator_Blutarski]

I live in out-state Minnesota. Let's leave the whole "orientation" and the age of his conquest aside for a moment.

Does anyone really think its OK for a state legislator (or anyone else) to be engaging in sexual acts in a public restroom? This whole issue is off the scale in its depravity.

Please don't think that the average Minnesota resident thinks this is acceptable. In spite of their ignorant voting pattern the average out-state Minnesota resident is still somewhat socially conservative. Like most states, our big cities harbor the sick liberals.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Hunton Peck.

[Rodm]

Democrat does statutory boy rape.

[bray]

Was this actual rape or just statutory rape? Good thing he’s not a Penn St coach.

Pray for America

[Hunton Peck]

Legally, it was neither, as Minnesota’s age of consent is 16.

[Hunton Peck]

I live in Wisconsin, not all that far from Duluth, but fortunately outside its political sphere of influence. I attribute the political leftism of that area (Duluth, the Range, and the lake shore) to the unions.

While they aren’t particularly pro-perversion, the unions have a long history of being tolerant of scumbaggery of all varieties, as long as the scumbags do their part to keep the power and money in union hands.

[leaning conservative]

I’d say that the unexplained health problem is probably extreme humiliation which makes it impossible to go out in public for fear of being laughed at & mocked.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Wiki says he’s single and openly gay. That’s how one gets elected in Duluth.

[technically right]

DFL = Dumb F*cking Liberal

[MplsSteve]

WELCOME TO FREE REPUBLIC’S MINNESOTA PING LIST!

151 MEMBERS AND GROWING...!

FREEPMAIL ME IF YOU WANT ON OR OFF THIS LIST!

[johniegrad]

In his statement Gauthier said, "I am a better person than this incident would indicate and will try to demonstrate this with my future behavior. I can change my behavior, but I can't change the fact that I am a gay man and have known so since I was in college. I simply must act as a mature gay man would act, and not as this incident portrays me."

What's interesting to me about this situation is that it is completely unclear what Gauthier sees as being the problem here.

If pressed, I bet he could not identify what the moral issue is. For that matter, neither can many of his supporters from what I've seen on Facebook discussions of the matter.

Clearly, it is immoral because: (1) He is having a sexual relationship (if you can call it that) outside of marriage and therefore it is a sin against chastity; (2) He is involved in a homosexual act; (3) He is involved in a homosexual act that essentially treats another individual (as well as himself) as an object, i.e., there is mutual abuse going on; (4) He is involved in this act with an individual who is 17 years of ages, regardless of the legality of that; (5) This is a sexual act with an individual solicited on line, despite its mutuality; (6) It is an act that took place in a public space and was observed by others, despite attempts to hide it; (7) He got caught.

Now in polite liberal society, the first 3 are widely accepted as reasonable and moral behavior. However, (4), (5), (6), and (7) are not nearly as clear as to their moral implications in liberal circles. Therefore, why did the DFLers call for him to step down and why did he do it?

Neither he (nor they) will call for an increase in chastity (contra #1), a condemnation of homosexuality (contra #2), an return to the true meaning of sexual relationships (contra #3 and #1), or condemn on the basis of age (contra #6) since the individual was of legal age.

Therefore, the only issues that they can have with this is that it was initiated on line, that it took place in a public space, or that he got caught.

I would venture that neither Gauthier or anyone from the DFL who called on him to step down could identify what the moral issue at stake here is. I think the only thing they recognized is that somehow (and I doubt they could define how) something embarrassing happened here that made them look bad or hurt his election chances.

It is extremely unlikely that this is the first time he has done something like this since he was able to set this up in a scenario that he thought he could get away with.

The moral compass directing this resignation is "I got caught".

Oh, and, by the way, how does a "mature, gay man act" anyway?