Gay mayor faces investigation into relationship with teenager
The Mayor of the US city of Portland’s relationship with a teenage male will be investigated by the Oregon Attorney General.
Yesterday Mayor Sam Adams publicly apologised for lying for the past 18 months about the natue of his relationship with Beau Breedlove.
He admitted that his previous assertions that he was merely “mentoring” the teenager for a career in politics had no foundation and were simply a front for their sexual relationship.
Mr Breedlove was 17 and working as a state legislative intern when he met then-City Commissioner Adams, who was elected Mayor last year and took office on January 1st.
Mayor Adams said they had sex several times during the summer of 2005, by only after Mr Breedlove turned 18.
In 2007, while considering his candidacy, Mr Adams accused another mayoral hopeful of spreading fase rumours about his relationship with Mr Breedlove and explained the “mentoring” nature of their relationship.
He has posted the following statement on his website:
“I want to publicly acknowledge a mistake I have made and I want to apologise for it.
“In the past, I have characterised my relationship with Beau Breedlove as purely non-sexual. That is not true.
“Beau Breedlove and I had a sexual relationship for a few months in the summer of 2005 after he turned 18 years of age.
“I should have been honest at the time about the true nature of my relationship with Beau Breedlove when questions about my relationship with him first surfaced publicly in October 2007.
“In fact, Beau encouraged me to be honest about the facts of our relationship. I am deeply sorry that I asked him to lie for me.
“I lied at the time because I was afraid that people would believe untrue rumours, being circulated by an undeclared mayoral opponent, that I had broken a law involving sexual relations with a minor. But this is not a good excuse.
“Until today, with the exception of Beau, I have not discussed with anyone the true nature of my relationship with him: not with my colleagues, staff, friends or family.
“I apologise to Beau for asking him to lie for me. I apologise to my colleagues for my poor handling of this matter.
“I apologise to the people of Portland for my dishonesty. I should have been truthful from the beginning.”
Having sex with someone under 18 is a crime in Oregon.
Mayor Adams could face charges such as contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor as well as sexual abuse charges.
The Oregonian newspaper said its editorial board has called for Mayor Adams to resign.
“There are several large, outstanding questions about Adams’ conduct, including whether he and Breedlove really waited to have sex until it was legal and whether Adams used his influence to keep Breedlove, and others who might have known of the relationship, quiet.”
