Always a good decision.

Fuck Sam Adams. He makes a shitty beer. Complete asshole, really.

Take me!! I have no job, nothing to do! LOL

It doesn't matter if this guy was 18 or 81.

The issue is did he violate employee harassment practices and compromise civic values and employee rights by using his power of office to gain favors with an underling.

Liar. Resign.

And if this wasn't a same-sex controversy, you wouldn't drive to Federal Way, let alone Portland.

Hypocrite.

#4,

The issues you list are invalid. Beau Breedlove was never employed by the city of Portland and never had an official relationship with Sam Adams. Mr. Breedlove was a page in the State Legislature while Mr. Adams was there to lobby.

Adams never employed, supervised, or oversaw Breedlove. They had an unofficial mentoring based friendship that turned into a consensual sexual relationship. We do not know if they really waited until Breedlove was 18, but they both say they did.

All Adams did was lie about whether or not he was having a sexual relationship with a much younger man.

@4, Quit it. He wasn't an underling. He was in a different city, in a completely different branch of government. It's like if Barney Frank had sex with Greg Nickels (picture that for a minute). Beaulove also never went back into government work after his internship ended.

4, Did you just not understand what you read, or did you just look at the headlines and make up your own story? You just look foolish now.

#5 ftw

think you'll get more than the anti-8 march?

Glad you're coming, Dan. I'm ashamed of my fellow Portland-ites at this point. See you at the rally.

I agree w/ 5, you brush The Gay out of the way, and it just comes down to Sam being caught in a bold-faced lie (as opposed to an exaggeration or minor fudging of the facts) during his mayoral campaign. And for a long time, that's been something that's been generally recognized as Really Not OK, and is grounds for resignation.

Will you also be supporting former Stranger writer Amy Ruiz keeping her job, too?

Need a place to stay, Dan? We'll do up the guest room for you.

Hey Dan,

I'm organizing the rally and would love it if you'd get up and say a few words. No 20 minute prepared speeches or anything, but some of your characteristic bluntness would help to cut straight to the issue: this is bullshit. Sam is our elected mayor and we support him, gay or not.

Hollie Teal
hollietealok@gmail.com
samisstillmymayor.blogspot.com

I don't think he should resign either, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to say "...because he made a mistake when cornered with an inappropriate question."

It's not like he just made a mistake. He lied, and then he involved other people in covering it up the lie. So while I agree that his general level of service far outweighs this, it's overly dismissive to try and frame the issue this way.

Hope to be there.

I don't care if the kid was 5 years old when they had consensual sex - we need Adam's strong leadership now, just as we need Obama for the country.

This is nobody's business. I'll be there tomorrow with SIGNS! See ya there!

Dan, I normally think you are a smartie pants rockstar studmuffin....

but your so wrong on this...

Sam lied, then asked the teen to lie, and then wrote letters and lied,

then went and looked into the camera and lied...

all with like 15 years of political experience telling him that lies seldom work out....

he only fessed up when cornered...

I hope you did your research on this one...would you hire someone who lies on their app?

"he made a mistake"

Since when is it OK to euphemized "lying" into "making a mistake"?

If the guy had come clean during the campaign, I don't think it would have affected the outcome, he still would have won, assuming Beau was indeed 18 when Sam started boinkin' him. But he chose to lie instead. And got Beau to lie. Sam lied. He lied. And in my book (as opposed to ever-so-hip, post-modern, post-Monica contemporary standards), it's absolutely NOT fuckin' OK to lie, OK? Regardless of the circumstances. A lie is a lie is a lie.

Dan, are you teaching DJ that it's OK to lie? Because that's the message you're sending. But then you've been telling couples to lie to each other for years...

Wish I could go enjoy the spectacle - Pink Martini's front man sez Gus Van Sant will be there too. But I will monitor closely from my desk, to my employer's continuing chagrin.

Why should we support someone who isn't proud enough about his identity that he can tell the truth - even when asked an admittedly personal question? Politicians get asked tough questions all the time. Adams should've seen this coming and deflected the question - instead of grandstanding on the "no." IMO it shows a lack of character, not to mention smarts.

OMG did you hear Obama lied about quitting smoking?!? And he got Michelle to lie for him too!??!? Make Obama resign!!!!

Oh wait, he's not gay? Never mind.

16, It's not like Adams was under oath, or trying to block a federal investigation. The mayor did not use blackmail, or any other coercive means in his efforts that included Breedlove to keep their sex lives private. He didn't break any laws.

Adams is toast - what a waste of energy - the real contest is between the Portland Mercury, owned by the Stranger, and, the Wilamette Weekly (arch competition( who broke the lie/having sex story ...

Ick, Portland politics. He needs to resign before he get in deeper.

The guy is in denial. Wrong time to keep liars in political office, sorry, the Bush years are over. Lying = corruption.

He smeared another guy's campaign for mayor for coming out with this story, but who cares - whatever it takes to win...politician's have lied for years and will always do so - so who cares, even if it is "under oath" - It's better to have a liar in office than some square or something.

I wouldn't care if the kid was 9 and Sam was 42 - it's none of our business, it doesn't matter to me - let him serve!

I'll be at the rally, see ya all there!!! SAVE OUR SAM, SAVE OUR SAM SAVE OUR SAM, SOS!!!!

@ 22 - He didn't lie out of shame over his orientation, he lied out of pure political expediency. He lied because it was the easy way out. To me that shows a lack of character.

Curious: When's the Rally Against Politicians Who Lie To Voters And Then Conspire To Keep The Lie A Secret?

Ethically, the people who show up at City Hall tomorrow are no better than the confederacy of dunces who went to the "Welcome Home, Bush" rally in Texas on Tuesday.

I have no problem with Adam's sexual relationships. I am more bothered that he lied about it to the people of Portland and then worked to cover it up by defaming a political opponent. The people of Portland deserved to know the truth before voting last May. The people of Portland deserve better.

For that, I think he should resign.

Sex Politics in our country are totally screwed up.

If I ran for political office, I would refuse to answer questions as to whether I slept with this person or that. It is not the publics' right to ask about legal sexual encounters.

Wow Dan, you haven't been to a marriage equality rally in years but you'll be right there to rally for a guy in power who lied about fucking an 18 year old

Seriously, Dan. SERIOUSLY?

BTW, Dan, Portland bars are now smoke-free.

Why did this political opponent think that is was okay to make Adams' sex life public just to score some points? That's much worse than lying to keep one's sex life private.

He ought to resign and run again. It's his best way to regain credibility and a mandate.

As for the comparisons to Clinton, a lot of people gave him a pass because he was a very good president who kept the economy humming. Adams doesn't yet have that record as mayor.

He shouldn't have lied. And he lied a lot.
I can't wait to read your column on this, because you don't need to address the consenting-adult sex, Dan, you need to address the lying.

Good on you for going to the rally and showing some support. Those gay bloggers who are caling for him to resign because he (supposedly)
makes all gay politicians look bad by association, call to mind those who don't like drag queens and leather men coming to Pride parades because it "sends the wrong message". They all need to grow some.

Chris -- the notion that there was something "post-modern" about the Lewinsky scandal comes, I guess, from seeing the President talk about the definition of "is."

But the idea that Clinton helped the nation especially along toward post-modern loss of meaning and acceptance of moral turpitude is just sad. He had sex with a woman not his wife; he lied about it; when cornered, he equivocated about it. This has been going on for-fucking-ever. It's not some especially post-modern equivocation: it's a guy lying and squirming about sex with a woman not his wife.

Kee-rist. And people will generally want to know if their mayoral candidates have sex with 18-year-olds, because people are stupid, and consequently feel that that's relevant. It was two consensual adults acting privately. In a decent society, that'd be the end of it, and anything that took place afterward -- including Adams' denials and other bad acts -- would be seen as unfortunate but necessary given the presence of batshit constituents whose vote Adams was for some reason seeking.

Man, fuck this. Let's grow up. Like the man said, time to put away childish things.

I used to live in Portland, OR and occasionally read the WW when I miss home. Frankly, I'm shocked that this story had to be published and that anyone cares. It's none of anybody's fucking business what Sam Adams did with another adult BEFORE he was mayor. I'm ashamed of WW, and ashamed that the people of Portland, who are supposed to be so accepting and open-minded, are going after Adams like the Republicans went after Clinton. It's disgusting.

I think he should resign. He screwed up big time by LYING (seriously, repeatedly lying) and doing the whole cover-up kind of thing. As an LGBT politician, you have to be better than the run-of-the-mill Craigs and Vitters and Clintons and Nixons, period. The dual standard is unfair for us, but it so be it.

Adams should resign. I have no empathy or compassion for the lying and the cover-up. Out he goes.

Days like this are when I wish we were more like the French.

I think he should just laugh at the media and ignore their questions that have nothing to do with his job.

If Adams had said he'd had an affair with someone 20 years his junior, the already extant stigma of his sexuality would have killed him. Yet in a culture where his marital rights don't exist and the partner of choice is deemed an adult (he was 18, past the age of consent, had he been 17 then Adam's "lapse in judgement" would have been a "criminal act," but it wasn't) he is not required to discuss his sexual activites and is certainly within his rights to dissemble. Had Clinton never addressed the rumors of his sexual behavior, he STILL would have been morally reprehensible to me for doing the help in the office. He created his own impeachment however, by going on the record with discussing his behavior, but didn't commit an impeachable offense until he lied about the relationship under oath. Hardly worth disassembling the presidency, but I would have been rooting for removal from office had this been Bush's only indictable offense.

I am working through my opinion here, since this story comes pretty out of the blue to those of us living out of the Northwest, but I THINK that Adams may well lose his job because he's neither as shrewd nor politically protected as Clinton, but that his losing his job would be wrong. The notion of this somehow being perceived as a perversion is what is most distressing -- there is nothing implicitly wrong in the personal relationship itself, unless it was compromised by the workplace dynamic (which per previous posts, this wasn’t); the concern to me is the negative stigma of gay men as predators, when the issue of predation doesn't exist here. Of course, Hugh Hefner dates 20-somethings constantly and gets his own TV show; the President of France is an international stud, but somehow Adams is being described as a pervert. The double-standard is alive and well. How would Adams have been perceived had he owned up to a relationship with an 18-year old?

serious question: why are the comments here so positive the kid was 18 when they first did it? cause he says so? umm...

@43: Exactly. His record of lying repeatedly about the whole affair makes me suspicious that he's telling the truth about the single detail that would be the most damning.

Any other journalist who just accepted the mayor's word on this -- when he lied about every other pertinent fact -- would be labeled a "stupid fucking credulous hack" by certain advice columnists.

He's currently at an undisclosed location - hiding away, just like ol' Dick Cheney!

how many under 18 are there? that is why he better quit and git... criminal stuff looming

you who could believe for a miunute "they waited" - for you, I have a list of good bridges cheap, cheap, cheap ...

Some of you are stupid to the max, age of consent and stat. rape are the real issues

he is toast and will be lucky to stay out of jail

and toast that squawks lies ... All of the good friends of Buea will spill all, and others will show up ... mark this post

Frankly, I don't care about the 17/18 thing. There's nothing magical about a birthday that makes one more or less able to make a call about sex that s/he couldn't the day before. And the age of consent is lower in some states, so who gives a rat's ass?
It's the lying that bugs me.
However, @42 ("If Adams had said he'd had an affair with someone 20 years his junior, the already extant stigma of his sexuality would have killed him.") carries some weight with me, but I really really hate that we're moving towards a construct of, "It's ok to lie because society isn't fair to us." Is that where 40-odd years of civil rights progress has taken us? The higher the stakes, the more we get away with?

I thought Steve Duin's commentary on Adams was interesting, "Don't give up, Sam, without a fight."

http://www.orgeonlive.com/news/oregonian…

Frankly, I’m disappointed in all the opposers for making such judgment without having ALL the information. If your readers kept the same principle character standards about magazines as you require in elected officials, do you really think you’d have many readers left? Since when do we allow a gay rag to judge the worthiness of elected officials? Isn’t that what elections are for?

I bet if your personal sex life was being broadcast on TV, you too would probably deny things to just make it go away. No one is perfect at making such decisions with such pressure as he endured. Albeit a wrong decision, it was a deeply personal matter that has in my mind, zero correlation to him performing his duties as Mayor. Everyone said the same thing about Clinton and we all got over it and he went on to do just fine.

This editorial and witch hunt is just salt in the wounds of the gay community against someone who has done so much for us.

Let us hear the conclusion of the investigation before casting him out for goodness sake. It takes guts to lie, but it takes even more guts to admit (on camera no less) that you did lie. While his reasons are not excusable, they are certainly understandable. Nobody is perfect!

I think people are making too big of a deal about the fact that Sam lied because the fact is that he never should have been asked about who he was or was not sleeping with in the first place. The problem is that the media pressed him too hard and would not accept a response of "that's private" or something similar. Politicians should only be accountable for answering questions that are directly related to their job duties. He had to respond with either a "yes" or a "no" to a question that he shouldn't have been asked in the first place and it is completely understandable and forgivable that he lied.

I will be at the rally tomorrow to protest unfair treatment towards Sam and to give my support to him in the hopes that he is not pushed to resign.

Thank you for your support Dan!

This rally promises to be the largest assembly of dumb people since Lon Mabon's group broke up. Just 180 degrees in the other direction.

If things don't work out for Sam, we have a job opening at Steam Portland. Give us a call, Sam.

Suggesting that lying about you sex life is the same as committing rape seems way off base.

Yes he lied about the two of them having sex. Yes this was a bad thing. But being a lier is very different than being rapist. Stop suggesting that the two lies would be the same.

The bottom line is: Sam will make a great mayor. For those of you living in Portland I ask What are our choices? Sho Dzono? That would be a diaster and we all know it. Do we really want to have a quick, messy election at this fragile time in our history? Do we want two weeks to decide who's going to lead us?
Think about this in a PRACTICAL way. PLEASE.

Responding to the post that asks why Bob Ball "went public" with this accusation in the first place:

Actually, Ball didn't go public with anything.

Understand the context, which is that a number of high-ranking people in Portland stayed quiet for more than a decade about former-Governor Neil Goldschmidt's "affair" with a teenage girl. Once it broke, many people expressed outrage at the fact that so many "leaders" in our community were complicit in keeping that whole thing quiet.

When Bob Ball heard repeated rumors that Sam had slept with a minor, he first consulted an attorney for advice about what he should do. On the attorney's advice, he went to Mayor Vera Katz (Sam's old boss) and City Commissioner Randy Leonard and told them that he had heard these stories from several people.

Sam then went public, in an incredibly sanctimonious "open letter" to Portlanders, in which he claimed to be disgusted by the accusation and smeared Ball for bringing such a disgraceful element into supposedly clean Portland politics.

Read it for yourself and then you'll know why many Portlanders think he behaved despicably: . It'd be nice if Dan Savage read this letter too, before he committed to the drive down here tomorrow.

Although this story is certainly bringing out a ton of homophobics and other wackjobs, the substance has nothing to do with sex or homophobia. This is about Sam's repeated smears against Bob Ball and his (still) failure to accept that he did anything wrong.

I guess the Stranger doesn't allow URLs to go up, but you can and should search at the commissionersam DOT com site under "Open Letter to Portlanders."

It's about the lying. He should have said that it was none of their business, like Bush did about his cocaine habit. Everyone knew Adams was gay so what is he hiding and what makes you so sure he isn't still lying?

From Dan's column on July 17, 2008:

I'm a 19-year-old gay boy, and while I have tried dating guys my own age, I realized a long time ago that I am far more interested (romantically and sexually) in older men. I understand, though, that many older men out there looking for a guy my age may not have the best of intentions. Do you have any tips for someone in my situation?

Timid Whelp In Needa Knowledge

Gay men in their 30s and 40s who will date teenage boys are almost always scum, TWINK, as you've surmised. But gay guys in their 30s and 40s who will date 23-year-olds? Some are scum, of course, because some of everyone is scum, but the scum makes up a far smaller percentage of the total. And these nonscummy older men are much more likely to be interested in a 23-year-old who has his shit together.

So I would advise you to skip the older guys who'll date you now and go and get your shit together. Get your ass into a decent college, fuck the odd TA (and they're all odd) to earn a little dating-and-mating wisdom, and then, after you graduate, take your gathered figurative shit to a big city where you'll meet plenty of attractive, older men.

Oh, and all the angry middle-aged gay men out there who "date" teenage boys and don't regard themselves as scum: Spare me the angry e-mails, fellas. I didn't say that you're all scum, guys, I wrote that you're "almost always scum." Unfortunately, scum never thinks it's scum, which can make it difficult to tell the scummy ones and nonscummy ones apart, particularly for young and inexperienced guys.

end column

And now Dan wants to go march for him? Fucking insane.

I live in Portland
And I fully support Mayor Adams,
it's disgusting all these people calling for him to resign.

All their reasoning is disguised homohobia, political hatred or both.
None of it has anything to do with Adams duty as a mayor.
Anyone who says different is lying.

I have thought about this since reading it, and have come to this conclusion (my opinion and belief). I am over sex scandals. Too long did we have to hear about Bill Clinton, what I do, you do, we do in our bedrooms is nobody's business but our own.

Lying, is indeed another story. I don't care what the lie was about. It wouldn't have mattered to me had it been him defaulting on a loan, not paying his taxes, etc. When someone lies, it is an indication that they will lie again. Those who defend liars-regardless the lie need to rethink their democratic values. The concept that you can trust someone in public service to lie about one thing and be truthful about everything else is indeed flawed logic. People who lie are liars. They know they are doing it-often and in this case to further their political careers. When doesn't the end justify the needs? We need honesty and integrity in our Mayor, our city, our state, and our country.

@59 I find it hard to believe that there is anyone in the world who doesn't lie occasionally, especially in the kind of position that Sam was in. A person should be allowed to have their sexual life remain private, whether or not they are a politician and that is why there are sexual harassment laws. Sam Adams lied in the face of harassment by the press and he was courageous enough to admit the truth and risk losing his job over it.

Yes, the mayor didn't just lie about his personal life. He lied by smearing the person he said was smearing him.

And while generally speaking one's personal sexual life is his/her own business, that's just not quite true for a mayor ~ the chief citizen of the community. Asking a mayoral candidate if he had an affair at 42 with a kid who just graduated high school is absolutely a fair question and let voters decide whether or not that casts a shadow on that candidate's judgement.

Lying in the interest of getting elected CERTAINLY shows a lack of judgement. And not only that, but is anyone listening to Adams' justification of the lie? That he DIDN'T BELIEVE VOTERS would believe that the sex had occured only after his partner reached legal age. He DOUBTED THE JUDGEMENT OF THE VOTERS he was courting. That's you and me and all of us. Is that ok?

I feel for the guy, I do; I was excited about him, I can't imagine being him right now, and I'll also add that WW could've waited a week to publish this story; timing this with what was otherwise an exuberant inauguration day was just a downer for everybody.

But though it'll sadden me to see Sam resign...he probably should. The idea of him then running again, though, isn't a bad one...hey, it worked for Marion Berry.

And hey, PDX Supports Adams ~

Yes, you who wrote:
"All their reasoning is disguised homohobia, political hatred or both.
None of it has anything to do with Adams duty as a mayor.
Anyone who says different is lying."

FUCK YOU. My sister is gay and I lover her partner as my other sister. Don't call me homophobic and this has EVERY THING to do with Adams' qualifications for mayor. See my previous post.

Sounds like it's YOU who is making this an exclusively gay issue.

And of course I meant to type that I LOVE my sister's partner as my other sister, not lover her. They're quite monogomous, thanks very much.

Whenver I try to tell someone to fuck off, I screw it up, I'm too much a pacificist at heart. Let me try again: Hey, PDX Supports Adams....FUCK OFF.

I guess Just Out is homophobic too, huh?

@antonjo

How is it fair to ask someone who they are sleeping with regardless of whether or not they are an elected official or not? I think it's wrong to refer to an 18 year old as a "kid" and I think it's wrong to assume that Sam is sleazy for having a sexual relationship with him.

But whether or not he had sex with this guy is not the issue - the issue is that he shouldn't have been asked the question because it IS NOT related to his ability to be a good mayor. He responded to a smear campaign against him in the way that he thought he had to - he was unfairly cornered and he panicked. And he admits that it was wrong of him to lie and he is sorry for that, but he should not be expected to resign because he shouldn't have been expected to answer questions about aspects of his personal life that have no relevance to his duties as a political official.

I think it was correct of him to assume that voters could have used the smear campaign against him, as you certainly are using against him now by using language like "kid" and saying that someone's sexual history is relevant to their ability to be a public official.

This is just another example of how ugly politics can be and how the media will waste our time by focusing on what will make them the most money instead of the real issues at hand.

Kim,

It's not using any kind of smearing campaign to call an 18-year-old who was weeks out of high school a "kid." It's been in the vernacular for decades, and I'm not sure how old you are but those of us in our 30's & 40's would say this without thinking. Have you ever heard the term "college kid"? And Breedlove wasn't even to college yet.

My point about the voters and his assumption was that his claims he lied to us voters ~ his would-be citizens ~ because he couldn't trust them. That's a heck of a way to run a campaign for mayor, and start a mayoral term. If you feel you need to buffalo your fellow citizens because they're not discerning enough to accept the truth--or that if they were, a healthy percentage might reject that truth and not elect him (and I'm NOT saying I'm one of the latter)---then you're running not just a dishonest but an arrogant campaign, and both traits are pointed squarely at the citizens you're claiming to love and seeking to lead.

As for the ethics of the original question posed to him ~ Even if you don't buy my assertion that the office of mayor carries the gravitas of making an affair with a just-graduated young man (still a teen for another whole year) a relevant point to bring up to voters....and I respect your differing position there.....SURELY it's not unfair given that without Adams' answer, there's CERTAINLY a question of whether he had an affair with a minor. Given that the two started hanging out before Breedlove was 18, I think it's VERY fair to ask someone--much less, the potential incoming mayor, much LESS in a city that has already seen the Goldschmidt scandal--"hey, just to make sure and for the record ~ were you having an affair with this guy underage?" It was certainly worth investigating, if only to nip the bad rumor in the bud.

I agree that it's ugly politics, but I don't agree that it's not relevant for the brand spankin' new mayor to be exposed as having lied to the public several times over, before and after election. And you really can't quite call his confession forthcoming or voluntary. Yes, the question was personal and the first instinct for most of us would be to lie. But this wasn't just being embarrassed, it was about getting elected and that was very conscious, otherwise he'd never have asked Breedlove to lie with him.

I heard there is a rally on Tuesday the 27th at noon? I can be there then, but can't be there tomorrow evening. My heart is with Sam, though. His sex life is NONE of anyone else's business, and no one should have any expectation of an honest answer to such an irrelevant and personal question.

Would it have been irrelevant if Breedlove had been 17? And without asking, how would you know?
You don't think that's worth asking a mayoral candidate?

Something tells me if this was a conservative 40-something man with a teenage girl, you'd find it relevant.

People keep explaining Sam's lie with statements like "no one should have any expectation of an honest answer to such an irrelevant and personal question."

What question are you talking about??

No one asked him anything. There were widespread rumors about this two years ago. (Note: if you sleep with a teenager, expect him/her to tell your secret.) After those rumors had reached Sam's boss, a fellow Councilmember and various members of the press, Sam sanctimoniously released an open letter to Portlanders and went on numerous tv shows to declare how appaled he was by these rumors and how "disgusting" they are, and blah blah blah...

The notion that the press hounded him about this and he simply HAD to lie to get them off his back is yet another invention of the people who are trying to rationalize this thing.

Dan, I thought you'd do better than this.

Seriously, people, he didn't just deny this at the time, he exploited it and offered an alter-scenario that made him look like he was nothing more than a mentor who had taken in a hungry kid that showed up at his office doorstep:

"I told my staff, 'This is a 17-year-old. Make him feel welcome. Keep an eye on him,' " said Adams, 44. "I listened to his story. I tried to offer my own perspective, given my own background. I could've just said, 'This looks bad, so I can't help you.' But I wanted to help..... If someone comes to me looking for advice or perspective, I want to be able to offer it. At the same time, I'm very careful. I set boundaries."

One blogger responded at the time:

"Posted by: SamIamNot | Sep 19, 2007 5:39:02 PM

WOW This is simply amazing!

I don't want Sam as Mayor because of the way he runs the Transportation Bureau but I will vote for him if there isn't a better candidate available.

I will never vote for Ball for anything because of this stunt.

Disgusted"

This isn't manipulating voters? Read his "Open Letter to Portlanders" and see how he uses Breedlove as a sweeping metaphor for the problems of gay youth and his service to that cause:

http://www.commissionersam.com/node/2801

Having read this stuff, I'm no longer on the fence. He should fucking resign.

@14 don't bother with towels. He won't be taking a shower.

I love how the comments keep getting longer and more impassioned. Nobody reads after #20.

Oh wait...

Damned right I keep getting more impassioned. The more truth I read, the angrier I get at my mayor. You know, the one I elected?

I support Sam Adams!!! Portland needs to get out of people's personal sexual relationships. It's none of our business anyways! It was legal and consensual. I'm sure other Politician would lie about their personal sexual history if they were put on the spot!

Remember Clinton lied and he still did his job.

A better story headline moving TOWARD, not away from:

Sam Adams, a leader in the beautiful community of Portland, recently decided to announce that he felt pressured to keep an awesome sexual experience secret. We understand why he felt this way and now he has a platform for telling us how FUN and great it was to have sex with this hot young guy OR he can simply opt in letting us know that it is not our business. Hopefully, from this place of clarity and JOY, we can all learn from this example and screw and be happy about it. Thank you Sam for giving us this space to move forward in this dialogue regarding issues that are often hidden or looked poorly upon. Once again you are promoting change.

Kari Myers

Seriously, this would normally be on Dan's youth pastor watch. I understand the desire to make this LOOK okay because we want the gay community to succeed and move forward into mainstream politics but in this case what we have is a blatant abuse of power...Change the players and and we have that mug shot blank stare of the youth pastor.

I thought of a cheer for the rally: 2, 4 ,6, 8 it's none of our fucking business who Sam fellates. Catchy I think.

I am still with Sam Adams. I am willing to take him at his word and forgive him.
Joel Kimble

I do not understand the over-all publics dismay with Sam Adams. Of course he lied about his personal life. If he had told the truth, between the homo-phobic portion of the community and the parents of teens, he would have lost the election. This happened between two consenting adults. I am ashamed of our country constantly bringing these topics into the battle. Fight fair. It reminds me of Bill Clinton. Of course he lied. And if we had accused Kennedy of sleeping with Marilyn Monroe...He would have lied, also. What is done behind closed doors, between two consenting adults is their business. I don't feel this is any indication that he will be a dishonest politician. It shows him keeping his bedroom door locked from the publics eyes, as everyone's should be. And if you, or anyone you know or work with were asked about their affairs, would they be honest. Men and women are cheating on their spouses everyday. They are even sleeping with an older/younger partner. Why are there so many hypocrits out there that want to hang Clinton and Adams for it? Clinton didn't do such a horrid job. He could have done much worse. Like say...hmmm...Bush, who never cheated on his wife or slept with a younger woman (as far as we know). Just helped our country's detoriation. So by all means...Boot Adams out. I am sure we can find someone more capable of keeping his closet locked. But what will the condition of our state be in, when he is finished.

Jesus Irene ...you spit out "parents of teens" like it is some extreme right interest group. A parent of 17 year old has a reason to be concerned if someone in power is taking advantage of an underage kid. That is what it is pure and simple. If this were a hetero situation...a youth pastor for example...having sex with a minor...everyone would be flipping their shit. THis has nothing to do with men and women cheating on their spouses. It has to do with laws that protect minors from people who abuse power and take advantage of children. A parent's job, rightly so, is to make sure their kids make it relatively intact into adulthood. Sam Adams abused his power. Because others have done so doesn't make it okay. If he wants to be in the public eye he needs to be better...being queer has nothing to do with it...being a liar has everything to do with it. Abuse of power has everything to do with it.

I'm sorry... I would LOVE to support Sam Adams and I'm totally heartbroken over this situation. But...
he lied,
he asked a teen to lie about sex,
he smeared other people in the process,
he smeared his opponent for mayor,
his lie shows disrespect for voters and the democratic process...
he compromised the integrity of his office and character by becoming beholden to others (Mercury reporter Ruiz-- do you know how many enthusiastic green urban planners are in our city? a million. We have the best planning school in the world here and ton of greenies. Why Ruiz? Stinks to me.)...

I've no doubt it's hard to talk about sexual indiscretion in the public forum, but that's what he needed to do and he didn't.

Personal responsibility.

I'd hoped we closed the book on the era of deceit that defined my twenties. Lies happen, sure. But this lie-- these lies are over the top.

It's not the consensual sex with the technical adult.
It's the way he handled it. I'm so bothered. Truly. DAN, help me understand!!! Please! I want Sam Adams to be my mayor, but I can't reconcile his actions with my values or with the suspicion that the unethical behavior doesn't end here. This ruined Obama Day for me. I teach SS to middle schoolers. We talk about democracy and what it takes and what it means to keep it healthy.

I'm so sad. For Sam. For Portland. For democracy. For all the communities and individuals whose intergrity was compromised. For my students who ought to be able to expect better from their heroes.

How is it irresponsible to ask questions when there is reason to suspect that our MAYOR slept with a minor? It would appear he didn't... quite. But given that it was a matter of days, the questions were COMPLETELY reasonable.

Everything is okay so long as it's between CONSENTING ADULTS.
HOWEVER!
Since it was reasonable to wonder whether ONE of two very simple criteria was met, questions were appropriate. I wish he'd trusted the people of Portland to shrug their shoulders, acknowledge the decency (or at least legality) of the affair and still elect him.

He did not give us that opportunity.

I am a parent of a 19 yr old and a 17 yr old. I know that I would be dismayed if it were a child of mine, that slept with an older person of same sex, or opposite. However, I also know that they will do what they want to do. I am only here to talk reason and teach them morals. I cannot force them to do what I choose. Breedlove was 18. Yes, I am not one that likes the idea of such a large age difference. I do not agree with the lie. It is a shame that Adams felt he needed to lie, and to ask the teen to lie. But I do not feel that this is any indication that he will not perform his job poorly.

Keep bedroom, religion, and politics separate. If it is legal and consentual, it is not for the public to discuss.

Why would Adams have faith in the voters. Look what happened to Clinton. How many were supportive of his presidency, after he cheated.

I don't cheat. I am not gay. I believe in being truthful. I am a single woman in my 40's. And I believe that we Adams was forced into a corner, that never should have existed. Shame on him for having sex with a young man. Shame on him for lying. But I stand behind him as Mayor. I don't feel that this has anything to do with his competency. It isn't extortion. It isn't prostitution. It isn't child porn. It isn't.

What it is, is a many people learning something that should have been private.

Kennedy was one of the highest regarded presidents. You think he would have openly admitted to the nation that he was an adulterer?

Yeah, I sort of agree with 82. I had sex with someone, someones, twice my age when I was 17..18...19... hell, I was a horny teenager and found older guys hot. Sounds like Mr. Adams made a bad decision given his penchant for a political career (not to mention a taste, apparently, for chicken). But victimization, abuse, even rape? Give me a break. Sorry, prudes, the real tragedy here is that Mr. Adams made a huge political mistake in the both the act and the coverup. The sex itself, I'll bet, was probably a lot of fun for both involved - but none of our business.

I'm wondering if Rep. Curtis from Vancouver, WA would have even had to resign if he would have just come clean with his whole cross-dressing low-rent hustler Spokane spank-a-thon. Maybe his wife was OK with it - but lord knows that denial and hush-money did him in.

God speed, Mr. Adams.

@82 and 83
It is our business if an adult is sleeping with a minor. Adams was apparently so flagrant with his flirtations with a seventeen year old that staffers were concerned. Whether you think grown up on kid sex is a beautiful thing or a rotten thing, it's against the law.

I, for one, fear the day when people stop asking questions when they suspect an adult to be having a sexual relationship with a minor. The fact that so many people are bashing the WW for asking questions is troubling.

Anyway... I'm off to pick up one of my students to take him to lunch and mentor him on the weekend. I just bought him this smokin' hot new sweater vest and I can't wait to see how he looks in it. Yum. AND! I just got my nails done in his favorite colors-- Orange and Blue, like the Oregon Beavers. I hope he likes it. One of my coworkers asked me if my relationship with him was appropriate. What a bitch! And who cares anyway? The venerable Mayor Adams "mentored" that Beaulove kid and still got to be mayor. And so what if people ask questions. I'm not actually going to bone him 'til the day he turns 18... and plus, what the hell do I pay union dues for anyway? I can do what I want with whomever I want. I'm still a flippin' amazing teacher. I don't even know what my school district would do without me.
*****None of this is true. I'm making a point.

Sam Adams Support Rally http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH7xZ_BXN…

For the love of gawed. Sam Adams is a lying piece of Shit and that is all that matters. Who cares if he is gay or not!? THe witch hunt would go on no matter if this was a gay/straight/bi/etc issue. It is BS, he lost my trust,! How smart is it to be fooling around with a 17/18 year old when you are his age? He should have known better. Not only is it a crime to F a 17 year old boy, but he had the boy lie about it too. Now, WHY would he have the kid lie if there was nothing to hide?

I don't think Sam Adams should resign. He's a good mayor and this city needs that. The reporter should not have asked him if he had sex with another adult male, but should've asked if he had sex with a minor. Any other question isn't news. The reporter has pursued this to gain fame, not in the interest of the city. The mayor was put in a difficult position when asked on the spot, so of course lied. But it was a question that should not have been asked in the first place. If he was not gay, the reporter wouldn't have found it to be a story. I am not gay myself, but a mom of Portland kids who need a good mayor in place. I hope Portlanders can see that and can get on with more important issues at hand. Stop worrying about stupid bedroom questions.

I'm sorry that he lied, instead of making the appropriate response to a question about one's love life: None of your business. If someone had a crime to accuse him of, then charges could have been filed, by a _victim_, and not an opportunistic political adversary, and then he could have made statements under oath. And then, if he'd lied, there'd be something to bulldoze him out of office for.

1) He is gay.
2) He had sex with an 18 year old.
3) He lied.
4) He got other people to lie.
5) He gave a job to a newspaper editor who didn't print the truth about his lie.
6) He attacked people who told the truth; to the extent of accusing a guy of attempted rape to get him to shut up about his lie.

I have no problems with #1 and #2.

I have major problems with #3, #4, #5 and #6.

Adams claims Breedlove was 18.
But Adams lies.
How do we know if he is lying about Breedlove's age?

He should resign,
and even though I gladly voted for him,
and even though I will have to wait for 6 months for a recall,
I will sign the petition to recall him and vote for his recall.

May 7th; Please help me find out how to support Sam Adams in the upcoming recall. The bias media, Just Out and KATU to name just two, have reported on websites for recall and ads for the recall but not websites for Sam and support against the recall.
Joel Kimble