Haggard wife says she knew about his ’struggles’

(Chicago, Illinois) Former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard’s wife says she knew about his struggles with same-sex attraction for years and felt he was “winning the battle” before a scandal involving a male prostitute triggered his downfall in late 2006.

Gayle Haggard makes the remarks in an appearance with her husband on …

Ted Haggard, Oprah Interview: Haggard And Wife Discuss Gay Sex Scandal (VIDEO)

Disgraced Pastor ted Haggard’s fall from grace was swift and devastating. Once one of America’s most influential religious figures, he all but disappeared from the public square when it was revealed that he had been engaging in sexual relations with a male escort and was paying him to score crystal meth.

Since his downfall Haggard has made a couple forays back into public life, like when he claimed to have undergone intensive “restoration” which made him into a “complete heterosexual” (which was then disputed by the new pastor of Haggard’s church, who said Haggard quit the program early and was not yet completely “restored”). However, he is now on a promotional blitz for his new HBO documentary, “The Trials of Ted Haggard,” made by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Haggard, along with his wife Gayle, took to the Oprah Winfrey show today to promote the documentary and discuss his life-long struggle with his attraction to men. He also addresses new allegations that he had a cash-for-sex relationship with a young, male church volunteer for over three years. See Ted Haggard, Oprah Interview: Haggard And Wife Discuss Gay Sex Scandal (VIDEO)

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TWO Calls on Authorities to Investigate Ted Haggard’s Former Church, Says Hush Money Scandal Emerges From New Life’s Closet

NEW YORK, NY – Truth Wins Out (TWO) today called on Colorado officials to investigate New Life Church, after the Associated Press revealed that New Life paid money to keep a male volunteer from publicly disclosing a romantic affair with the church’s former minister Ted Haggard.

According to the AP, New Life’s current Senior Pastor, Brady Boyd, said that the church reached a legal settlement to pay the man for counseling and college tuition, with one condition being that none of the parties involved discuss the relationship publicly.

“Until conservative churches stop shaming gay people and learn to accept them, we will see more tawdry scandals,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “These calamities are a direct result of the closet.”

Rev. Boyd denied that New Life paid hush money and said, “Our desire was to help him. Here was a young man who wanted to get on with his life. We considered it more compassionate assistance — certainly not hush money.”

TWO called on Colorado officials to look into the matter.

“Authorities should investigate to ensure that this volunteer was not manipulated or coerced into silence,” said Besen. “The leadership of New Life has little credibility and should not simply be taken at their word. At a minimum, Boyd should resign for using his position of power to pressure a vulnerable member of his congregation into silence.”

In 2006, Denver escort Mike Jones disclosed that he and Haggard had a three-year relationship where money was exchanged for sex. Shortly after, Haggard stepped down from New Life. Next week, HBO will air a documentary on the rise and fall of Haggard. The disgraced minister will be promoting the show in media appearances throughout the week.

There is speculation that the HBO special spurred the volunteer to contact a Colorado Springs television station to discuss the situation.

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that defends the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community against anti-gay lies. TWO also counters the so-called “ex-gay” industry and educates America about the lives of GLBT people.

Web: www.TruthWinsOut.org

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Sex scandal divides Portland and its gay community

A confession by Portland’s first openly gay mayor that he lied about having sex with a teenager is dividing this famously progressive city, as well as its gay community.

Just three weeks after Sam Adams was sworn in, many gays are questioning whether he is the man they want as their trailblazer.

“Sam has been our guy forever, which makes this even harder,” said Marty Davis, publisher of the newspaper Just Out, which has called for his resignation. “It’s completely dividing and tearing our community right down the middle.”

Portland’s progressive reputation is based on its dedication to eco-friendly buildings, its large network of bike paths, an expanding mass transit system and the city’s welcoming attitude toward gays and lesbians, which was reflected in Adams’ easy victory in last year’s election.

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Amid Sex Scandal, Portland’s Gay Mayor Asked To Resign

Portland’s openly gay mayor, Sam Adams, was asked to resign by a representative from the Portland Police Association over the revelation that he covered up a sexual affair with a teenage boy during his mayoral campaign.

Adams, 45, humbled himself and asked for forgiveness at a Monday press conference, where he admitted that his long-standing denial of having a sexual relationship with 18-year-old Beau Breedlove was not true.

“I want to apologize to the people of Portland for my dishonesty,” Adams said. “I made a mistake. This was clearly an error. I clearly messed this one one up.”

A representative from the Portland Police Association asked for Adams to resign, saying that his actions had left him at risk of “blackmail,” reports The Oregonian.

“Had they attempted to blackmail me, I would have taken the appropriate steps,” Adams responded.

Rumors of the affair surfaced in 2007 during the mayoral campaign. Adams’ long-standing response has been to dismiss those reports as a “nasty smear.”

In a Thursday interview with a reporter from the Willamette Week, the mayor was confronted with evidence the newspaper had gathered over several months concerning the affair, including statements from several of Breedlove’s friends who said the young man had confided in them that the two shared an intimate relationship. Adams remained steadfast in his denial.

See Amid Sex Scandal, Portland’s Gay Mayor Asked To Resign
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Burris likely to be seated this week

(Washington) Eager to put the scandal-tainted standoff behind them, Senate Democrats accepted Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate successor on Monday and said they expect to swear in the new Illinois senator this week.

“He is now the senator-designate from Illinois and, as such, will be accorded all the rights …

New York Knicks Center Slapped With Shocking Sex Harassment Lawsuit By Male Driver

Knicks center Eddy Curry was slapped with a shocking sex-harassment suit Monday by his former driver, who claims the 6-foot-11 hoopster tried to solicit gay sex from him.

The stunning court papers claim Curry, a married father of three, repeatedly approached chauffeur David Kuchinsky “in the nude,” allegedly telling him, “Look at me, Dave, look” and “Come and touch it, Dave.”

Curry also made Kuchinsky perform “humiliating tasks outside the scope of his employment, such as cleaning up and removing dirty towels [Curry had ejaculated into] so that his wife would not see them,” the Manhattan federal court suit says.

Kuchinsky, who is straight and Jewish, also alleges racial discrimination, saying that Curry hurled slurs at him including “f—ing Jew,” “cracker,” “white slave,” “white devil” and “grandmaster of the KKK.”

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Ted Haggard says his sexual identity is … “complex”

Former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says his sexual identity is complex and can’t be put into “stereotypical boxes.” But he says his relationship with his wife is stronger than ever.

A new HBO documentary follows Haggard after a gay sex scandal forced him to resign as president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals. He was also fired from the 14,000-member New Life Church

Haggard says he still believes it’s “God’s perfect plan” for marriage to be between a man and woman, but he says “sexuality is confusing and complex.”
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Blagojevich scandal could delay Ill. civil unions effort

The scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) could delay passage of a civil unions bill in the state, according to observers familiar with the state’s General Assembly.

Blagojevich made headlines last week when the FBI arrested him and John Harris, his chief of staff, on charges of fraud and bribery, including allegations that Blagojevich conspired to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. See Blagojevich scandal could delay Ill. civil unions effort
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Fire Revives Palin Church’s ‘Ex-Gay’ Scandal

Sarah Palin and her church’s religious teachings are again making headlines — or at least propelling conversation.

The Alaska governor’s church, Wasilla Baptist Church, literally came under fire this weekend in what appears to be arson. And, considering the suspicious nature of the incident, one can’t help but wonder whether the church was specifically targeted because of Palin’s long history there. That’s one of the theories, of course, and has brought Palin’s right-leaning beliefs — and past scandals — back into the spotlight.

As Colin Powell pointed out last week, Palin was certainly a polarizing figure during her short stint on the campaign trail. She fired up supporters and burned up critics. But who would hate this woman enough to torch her church? Probably plenty of wackos, but some seem to be speculating that the “suspect class” can be narrowed a bit.

You may recall that last September, as people were just starting to examine Palin’s background, it came to light that her church had distributed a flyer for Love Won Out, a group that claims it can “cure” gay people. [There was also a scandal in which Palin was accused of asking her local library to remove gay-themed books from its shelves when she was mayor. She denied the charge.] Obviously gay people were not amused and called on Mrs. Palin to explain herself. It became a small thorn in her side, and one that Palin tried to avoid. Sure, the topic came up a bit, but it never became the headline grabber it could have during previous elections, when the culture wars raged. Well, the topic came up last night when Palin sat down with Fox News’s Greta van Susteren. See Fire Revives Palin Church’s ‘Ex-Gay‘ Scandal
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