Metro Weekly

Gay mayor of Portland admits he lied about sex with 18-yr-old intern; apologizes [video]

”As one of the leaders of the gay community, I want to apologize to the gay community for embarrassing them. I should have been truthful from the very beginning…. Well I wasn’t thinking clearly, that’s for sure. I was not thinking appropriately, either. I was recently out of a relationship of eleven years — the first time in my life that I was gay and out of the closet and single. I was dating a number of people, and at the same time I was learning to be an elected official, and the scrutiny that comes with that. I frankly was sort of finding my way.”

Portland, Oregon’s newly elected, gay Mayor Sam Adams, admitting that he lied about having a sexual relationship with an intern, Beau Breedlove, who was 18 during their encounters in 2005. Adams is now 45, and is reported to have said called his opponent’s allegations the worst kind of smear a gay man could face. Adams also says he asked Breedlove to lie about their relationship.  (Oregon Public Broadcasting)


”We spend our whole lives trying to convince everyone that we’re OK, that we’re not broken or wrong. And — I don’t care who he slept with — but he lied! That’s the part I can’t get past. He got elected under false pretenses, ’cause we didn’t know the truth, and now we have to deal with it.”

Kimberlee Van Patten, a gay Portland, Oregon resident, speaking about the newly elected mayor, Sam Adams, 45, and the first such openly-gay elected official to run a major city. Adams was dogged by rumors during his campaign that he’d slept with an underage intern at the state legislature three years ago. He is now admitting to having had sex with that intern, Beau Breedlove, shortly after his 18th birthday. Some gay residents of the area feel that its an embarrassment that Adams lied, and feel that it only further perpetuates negative gay stereotypes. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)



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