Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Queer News: Florida's Gay, Anti-Gay Republican State Senator/Church Cancels Funeral After Discovering Decorated Vet Was Gay

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2324.shtml
The lighter side of darkness
By Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D.
Online Journal

Aug 21, 2007

Why did the chicken cross the road? Why did Florida State Rep. Bob Allen (R), a longtime foe of gay equality, offer to pay a male cop $20 for oral sex in a park restroom?

Who cares why the chicken crossed the road, but Allen’s “explanation” highlights the lighter side of darkness:

In taped statements made by Allen to police following his arrest [he] admits to soliciting the male officer but claims that it was the result of being nervous by the high number of black men in the park.

“I certainly wasn’t there to have sex with anybody and certainly wasn't there to exchange money for it,’ Allen told officers. . . .

But on the tape Allen also admits warning the undercover cop that “undercover cops” were in the area and the man should be careful.
Danny Kavanaugh, the plainclothes police officer the state representative propositioned, wrote in his report that he asked Allen, “Well look, man, I’m trying to make some money; you think you can hook me up with 20 bucks?” . . .

The Republican lawmaker, the report said, replied, “Sure, I can do that, but this place is too public.”

According to Kavanaugh's statement, the officer said, “do you want just [oral sex]” and Allen replied, “I was thinking you would want one.”

It must be noted that Allen was the sponsor of the Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition Act. (It failed, as did its sponsor.) The Republican representative has also been an avid supporter of amending the Florida constitution to ban same-sex marriage and has opposed legislation to curb bullying of gay students.
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Church Cancels Funeral After Discovering Decorated Vet Was Gay
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: August 10, 2007 - 3:00 pm ET

(Dallas, Texas) A mega-church in Arlington, Texas has reportedly cancelled at the last minute a funeral service for a Navy veteran who died while awaiting a heart transplant after learning he was gay.

Cecil Sinclair died on Monday. He was 46.

A native of Fort Worth, Sinclair was a Navy veteran who served in Desert Storm helping rescuers find downed pilots.

Most recently he had been in failing health. Six years ago he developed a heart condition and was on a list for a transplant. On Monday he died of complications following surgery intended to keep him alive until a new heart became available.

Sinclair was not a member of any church. His brother was a member of High Point Church and when Sinclair's health began to fail members of the congregation prayed for him.

The nondenominational church is led by the Rev. Gary Simons, the brother-in-law of televangelist Joel Osteen.

When Sinclair died High Point offered to host a funeral.

But the offer suddenly and at the last minute was rescinded, the Dallas Morning News reports, when the church discovered Sinclair was gay.

Sinclair's sexuality came to light, the paper reports, when the family submitted photographs of Sinclair's life that it wanted to display at the funeral.

Among the pictures where photo's of Sinclair hugging and his partner, Paul Wagner.

"Some of those photos had very strong homosexual images of kissing and hugging," Simons told the Morning News. "My ministry associates were taken aback."

Sinclair's mother told the paper that the church never contacted her or Wagner about their decision to cancel the service. She said she learned of it late Wednesday when Sinclair's brother Lee called her.

"We could have reached a compromise," she said. "That was never attempted."

The church did offer to pay for a funeral at another location but the family turned it down. Instead the service was held Thursday night at a local funeral home.

©365Gay.com 2007

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/081007service.htm

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