Gary Bauer Has The St. Patrick's Sadz

"Guinness, Heineken and Sam Adams have cast their lots with the militant homosexual rights movement and withdrawn their sponsorships of New York City's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. The beer companies are attempting to claim the moral high ground, shaming the Catholic organizers of the St. Patrick's Day parade because they will not allow open homosexuals to march in the parade. Where does this nonsense end? New York City already has a major 'gay pride' parade. Guinness, Heineken and Sam Adams could simply sponsor that event if they cared so much about the issue. Would Guinness, Heineken and Sam Adams force the St. Patrick's Day parade to include groups of polygamists and serial adulterers too? Sadly, this is more evidence of corporate America's complete meltdown on values issues. Far too many corporations are becoming active combatants in the culture war, fighting against the Judeo-Christian values cherished by so many of their consumers." - Former Family Research Council president and failed 2000 presidential candidate Gary Bauer.

Ben Shapiro Has The St. Patrick's Sadz

"Apathy is not good enough when it comes to the radical gay bullies who now insist that every event carry the stamp of their movement. And so sponsors like brewer Sam Adams in Boston and Guinness in New York pulled out of the parade. Guinness pulled out after radical gay groups threatened to march to Stonewall, a historically important point for the gay rights movement, and pour vats of Guinness into the streets. This has become the raison d’etre of many in the gay rights movement: destroying the businesses of those who refuse to abide by their standards of conduct, all in the name of tolerance. And they’ve been tremendously successful at it. Corporate America fears controversy. The militant gay rights movement understands that well, which is why it targets corporations for political blowback when businessowners get involved in politics, even tangentially. Conservatives have historically been wary to engage in the same tactics. But as the left has demonstrated, the tactics work. The only question is whether the right will continue to play by Marquess of Queensbury rules." - Ben Shapiro, writing for Breitbart.

The above-linked piece is titled: "5 Big Wins For Militant Gay Pressure Groups." Shapiro's list: Duck Dynasty, Boy Scouts USA, Chick-Fil-A, Arizona SB 1062, and Prop 8. The article is approaching 3500 outraged comments.

Stonewall Inn To Drop Guinness Beer Over Sponsorship Of St. Patrick's Day ParadeUPDATE: Guinness Pulls Out Of Parade

Via GLAAD:

The historic Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the modern LGBT equality movement, will drop Guinness beer from its shelves beginning Monday, March 17 following the beer company's decision to stand by its sponsorship of the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. The Parade, which is the oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day celebration in the country, prohibits LGBT families and organizations from participating. "The ban on gay and lesbian people marching openly forces me, as a proud Irish New Yorker, to look my five year-old twins in the eye and tell them that the parade organizers don't think our family is good enough to join in the celebration," said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. "By supporting the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade, Guinness is telling its LGBT customers and employees that it supports the parade's discriminatory ban," Ellis continued. "It's time for Guinness, other sponsors and Irish New Yorkers to speak out in favor of an inclusive parade that welcomes the Irish spirit of love and family."

Yesterday Heineken dropped its sponsorship of the parade.

Heineken has pulled its sponsorship of the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade, which prohibits LGBT families and organizations from marching. A company official at Heineken has confirmed to GLAAD that the company will no longer be a sponsor of Monday's parade, saying "we are passionate about equality for all people." However, according to a tweet from CNBC, Ford Motor Company has announced that it will continue to sponsor the parade, despite the ban on LGBT families marching openly.

Here's the statement from Ford:

Ford Motor Company is involved in a wide range of events and organizations in communities across the country and around the world, including long-standing participation in this parade. No one person, group or event reflects Ford's views on every issue. What we can tell you is that Ford is proud of its inclusive policies. Every member of the Ford team is valued, and we provide employee benefits regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.

RELATED: On Friday, Sam Adams pulled out of the Boston parade.

UPDATE: Guinness has pulled out.

Guinness today announced that the beer company would drop its sponsorship of the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade due to the parade's discriminatory rule that prohibits LGBT families and organizations from participating. In a statement released today, Guinness said: "Guinness has a strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all. We were hopeful that the policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year’s parade. As this has not come to pass, Guinness has withdrawn its participation. We will continue to work with community leaders to ensure that future parades have an inclusionary policy."

BOSTON: Sam Adams Yanks St. Patrick's Parade Support Over Exclusion Of Gays

MassEquality points us to a statement from Boston Beer, the makers of the Sam Adams brand:

"We have been participating in the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade for nearly a decade and have also supported the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast year after year. We’ve done so because of the rich history of the event and to support veterans who have done so much for this country. We were hopeful that both sides of this issue would be able to come to an agreement that would allow everyone, regardless of orientation, to participate in the parade. But given the current status of the negotiations, we realize this may not be possible. We share these sentiments with Mayor Walsh, Congressman Lynch and others and therefore we will not participate in this year’s parade. We will continue to support Senator Linda Dorcena Forry and her St. Patrick’s Day breakfast. We wish her all the best in her historic stewardship of this tradition."

Portland: Beau Breedlove Joins Recall Effort Against Mayor Sam Adams

Beau Breedlove, the former paramour of openly gay Portland Mayor Sam Adams, has joined the latest recall effort against him. Controversy over Breedlove's age at the time of his encounters with Adams nearly brought the mayor down during his election campaign.

Breedlove, who is volunteering with the recall campaign, said in an interview after the rally that other gays and lesbians have chastised him for backing the recall of the city's first openly gay mayor. Breedlove said that's precisely why Adams should step down. "He should hold himself to a much higher standard than any other politician, because he's not just representing the city of Portland," he said. "He's representing the GLBTQ community in a new way they haven't been represented before." Breedlove said he and Adams kissed before he turned 18 but didn't have sex until after he turned 18, which is the age of consent. Adams has maintained that no sexual contact took place before Breedlove turned 18. Adams was 42 at the time. The attorney general's office declined to prosecute Adams, citing lack of evidence. "In reality, he was the one who was in his 40s and he was the adult in the situation. I never felt like a victim until the end, when he continued to lie and threw me under the bus," Breedlove said Thursday. Breedlove said he and Adams have had no contact since the attorney general's investigation.

Breedlove parlayed his fame as the mayor's boytoy into a 2008 nude photo spread in Unzipped Magazine. The recall effort presently has fewer than half of the signatures needed by April 20th to force a vote.

Beau Breedlove To Pen Memoir

Beau Breedlove, the young Oregon man whose teenage love affair with Portland Mayor Sam Adams threatened to cost Adams his office, is releasing a memoir. Breedlove (real name!) posed nude for Unzipped Magazine shortly after the affair became public.

“The book is a reflection on the events of my life before, during and after the 'scandal' surrounding my relationship with Sam Adams,” Breedlove wrote in an e-mail to The Oregonian. “In addition, the book will cover a broader look at people who have been in similar situations to mine, and how stereotypes both play into the media attention as well as are used as tools against victims. This book is a memoir, and an insight into the change that the GLBTQ community needs to see in the way we are portrayed and represented.” Breedlove was 17 when he met Adams in 2005; they had sex shortly after he turned 18. A year ago this week Adams admitted publicly that he had lied about the nature of his relationship with Breedlove. Breedlove is living in, and blogging from Provincetown, Mass. After the scandal broke, he agreed to pose for the cover of an adult magazine.

Breedlove's agent says they don't yet have a buyer for the book.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams Cleared

Openly gay Portland mayor Sam Adams has been cleared of charges that he had an affair with the then-underage Beau Breedlove.

After a six-month investigation, Oregon Attorney General John Kroger found no evidence that Portland Mayor Sam Adams broke the law by engaging in a relationship with Beau Breedlove. In a report released this morning, Kroger said Breedlove lacked credibility as a witness, and state investigators could find no other witness to corroborate his account of an underage relationship with Adams. State investigators interviewed 57 witnesses during the course of their inquiry. "Here, there are serious questions about the credibility of Breedlove's account, due to his prior inconsistent statements, the lack of corroborating witnesses or evidence, his attempt to gain personally from matters related to his involvement with Adams and his prior criminal record," the report states. "Accordingly, we have concluded there is insufficient evidence to charge, let alone convict, Adams with illegal sexual contact with a minor."

Adams was also cleared of the charge that he hired a local reporter in order to keep her from exposing the affair.

Sam Adams Recall Effort Launched

A citizens group in Portland, Oregon has launched a web effort to recall openly gay Mayor Sam Adams over the Beau Breedlove debacle.

The Web site, www.recallsamadams.com, says Adams, who lied about his relationship with an 18-year-old legislative intern in 2005, doesn't deserve to run the city. "Mayor Adams has many great ideas for our city, yet lacks the public's trust and political capital to get them implemented," said Jasun Wurster, the Web site's volunteer spokesman. The Oregon Constitution prevents volunteers from collecting signatures until July 1, 2009. The goal of the volunteers is to have more than 2,000 volunteers ready to collect 50,000 signatures. More than 31,000 signatures are needed to remove Adams, who took office Jan. 1st and is serving his first term.

Some are calling for Adams to resign before a recall can take place.

UPDATE: Breedlove has just completed an "erotic photo session" with Unzipped Magazine to be published in May. His video porn debut in 3...2...1...

Beau Breedlove Talks To CBS

Portland mayor Sam Adams' one-time paramour Beau Breedlove has given his first on-camera interview on the controversy. The state is continuing to consider criminal charges against Adams.

(Via - Towleroad)

Unnamed Source Says Breedlove Was 17 When Sex With Sam Adams Began

Ugh. The Sam Adams story just won't go away. An unnamed friend of Beau Breedlove is now telling the Portland press that Breedlove told him that he'd had sex with Sam Adams before turned 18.

New details are emerging every day as the pieces of the scandal surrounding Portland's embattled mayor continue to unfold and people come forward. A longtime friend of Beau Breedlove, who spoke with KATU News on condition of anonymity, has new light to shed on the scandal that has divided the city into two sides - those for and against Mayor Sam Adams. In this latest development, Breedlove's friend told KATU News that he heard from him almost four years ago that he was having sex with a Portland politician - at a time when Breedlove was 17 years old.

"He didn't say who, or his name, but said he was having sexual encounters with this person," he said. The friend met Breedlove at South Salem's Sprague High School and said in the spring of 2005, Breedlove told him about the relationship. "I just didn't think too much of it at the time," he said. "It's not the first guy who he had sex with that was older than 18. He liked it, obviously. Maybe he just didn't know that this guy was going to become the mayor of Portland."

The anonymous source also says that Breedlove texted him after the story broke to say that he'd indeed had sex with Adams at age 17. Breedlove is denying this latest story and Adams has refused to comment. The commenters at the KATU-TV site are having a field day.

RELATED: The age of consent in Oregon is 18, but in 31 states it is only 16. However most of those states' laws include provisions that raise the age of consent to 18 if the other party is more than a few years older or in a position of authority, such as an employer, teacher, or guardian. The age of consent in all of Canada is 16, with similar exceptions.

Adams Spokesman Quits

Although his boss returned to work on Monday, Sam Adams' spokesman quit the next day.

Wade Nkrumah, the spokesman for Mayor Sam Adams, resigned his post Monday evening, the same day that Adams returned to work after admitting he lied about a 2005 relationship. Nkrumah, 48, declined to comment on his reasons but said his departure was voluntary. He said he spoke with the mayor and submitted a short resignation letter. Adams, he said, was "disappointed." Nkrumah, a former reporter for The Oregonian, said he has no new job lined up. He accepted the post in November, with Adams set to take over as mayor in January. Nkrumah said he does not believe anyone else on Adams' staff has resigned in the wake of Adams' admission that he lied about a 2005 relationship with Beau Breedlove.

Adams says he is staying in his position, but the police investigation is apparently continuing.

Sam Adams Says He's Staying In Office

Portland mayor Sam Adams released a statement last night saying that he will not resign.

Tomorrow, I go back work as your mayor. I know I have let you down and made mistakes. I ask your forgiveness. I believe I have a lot to offer the city I love during this time of important challenges. Beginning tomorrow morning, I will be back in my office doing the work that the last 20 years of public service have prepared me for. And my pledge to you is this: I will work harder than I ever have in my life to meet the challenges facing our great city. Tough economic times are creating record unemployment, strained city services, and the worst financial landscape for businesses since the Great Depression.

In the coming weeks and months, Portlanders will rightfully judge me not by my words, but by my ability to deliver results for them:
• To prioritize city spending to protect vital services such as public safety;
• To deliver on the 500 million dollar economic stimulus strategy to put Portlanders back to work;
• To improve our schools; and
• To continue to position Portland as the hub of this nation’s green economy;
As we push ahead together on these issues, each and every day — with lessons learned in hand — I will strive to regain your trust and faith in my ability to serve this city.

Thank you.

A video of Adams' statement is here. A police investigation into Adams' conduct is apparently still going forward.

Beau Breedlove Talks

In an interview published in today's Oregonian, Beau Breedlove tells his side of the Sam Adams story and says that their relationship "crossed the line" earlier than Adams has said.

The former legislative intern at the center of the controversy involving Portland Mayor Sam Adams says Adams kissed him twice when he was 17 and that their relationship had "crossed the line" toward romance earlier than Adams has acknowledged. Beau Breedlove, now 21, told The Oregonian on Saturday that Adams kissed him on the lips on two occasions before he turned 18 -- once in Adams' car and the other in the second-floor men's room in City Hall after a party that Adams, then a city commissioner, had in his office.

Even though Breedlove says that the restroom kiss lasted for "about a minute", Adams claims not to remember it and says even if it did happen, "kissing is not sexual". Both Breedlove and Adams say the two did not have sex until two weeks after Breedlove's 18th birthday. However, a minute-long kiss is sure to have been sexual-ish, which may not bode well for Adams under Oregon law.

The distinction is important legally. State law says third-degree sexual abuse, which is a misdemeanor, can occur when someone subjects another person to "sexual contact" when the person either does not consent to the advance or is younger than 18. The law defines sexual contact as "any touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person ... for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of either party."

It's not clear why Breedlove felt the need to make these statements about the kissing. Also not clear is the reason that he has hired a lawyer. What is clear is that Breedlove has a sense of humor, as he brought his new dog to the interview. Her name? "Lolita."

Portland Rallies For Sam Adams

Several hundred supporters of Portland mayor Sam Adams gathered on Friday night to call on Adams to stay in office. Sex advice columnist Dan Savage was among the speakers and he has photos from the event here.

Sam Adams Mulling Resignation

Beleaguered Portland mayor Sam Adams has announced that he will make a decision on whether to resign within a few days.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who admitted lying about a 2005 sexual relationship with an 18-year-old boy, says Portlanders should know "within days" whether he will resign. Adams did not appear in public Thursday but told The Oregonian he spent much of the day with his pastor and with his mentor, former Portland Mayor Vera Katz. "It's important that I learn the lessons that need to be learned regardless of what I decide," said Adams, who apologized at length to Portlanders Tuesday. Four Portland newspapers have called on him to quit but supporters have planned rallies on his behalf for Friday. Portland is the largest city in the United States with an openly gay mayor.

Note that although Beau Breedlove was reportedly 18 at the time of his relationship with Adams, the above-quoted Portland paper still refers to him as a "boy." Dan Savage wrote me last night pointing out that Breedlove was not in fact a direct subordinate of Adams, despite what was widely reported when the story broke. Savage points us to this Facebook group of Adams supporters, which already has more than 1000 members. He also notes this amusing Wonkette headline: Openly Gay Mayor Once Had Sex With Adult Male!

We were all thrilled when Adams was elected, and while this mess is quite disappointing, I think it's survivable. (Barney Frank, anybody?) I hope Adams sticks around.

Police To Investigate Portland Mayor Sam Adams Over Relationship With Staffer

The situation for Portland's openly gay mayor Sam Adams has gotten more dire, as the state attorney general has begun a police investigation into his relationship with his then teenage staffer.

Oregon's attorney general has agreed to investigate Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who has admitted he lied to cover up an affair with a teenager in 2005. Adams took office this month, making Portland the largest U.S. city with an openly gay mayor. On Tuesday, he admitted he lied when he denied having sex with Beau Breedlove. Adams says the relationship began after Breedlove turned 18, Oregon's legal age of consent. Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer and Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk asked Attorney General John Kroger for an investigation. Kroger issued a statement Wednesday agreeing to look into "matters pertaining to Portland Mayor Sam Adams that have recently come to public attention."

Support for Adams has withered even in the gay community, with the local gay paper calling for his resignation.

Headed by publisher Marty Davis, Just Out newsmagazine is asking that Portland mayor Sam Adams resign from office. By his own admission, by committing the act of lying to the citizens of Portland, Adams has failed to show the principled character that this publication feels is a basic requirement for an elected official. Just Out acknowledges that over his two decades as a public servant Adams has risen to become one of Oregon’s most revered openly gay leaders. This publication has long admired Adams’ vision, his intelligence and his tenacity. Ultimately we have concluded that these qualities cannot overcome the weakness revealed in Adams’ recent admission.

Adams’ apology of yesterday, including specific reference to the gay community, while sincere, is not enough. The bond of trust and confidence has been broken. Adams has previously stated his hope that gay and lesbian youth might one day look to him as a role model and example. His own actions have now rendered this implausible. Adams must resign his seat as Portland’s mayor.

And just to ramp up the prurient interest in the case, gay porn site Unzipped (NSFW) has published a series of beefcake photos it harvested from the MySpace page of the staffer in question, Beau Breedlove.On Tuesday, Breedlove issued this statement:

The past day of news coverage regarding my brief 2005 relationship with Mayor Sam Adams has been stressful, to say the least. I would like to publicly apologize to those who were negatively affected by my mishandling of the situation during the 2007 mayoral campaign. Reflecting back, I regret misleading anyone about the nature of the relationship. When the subject first surfaced during the campaign, I was living out of state and I did not anticipate the impact it might have on Portland’s mayoral campaign. While my first instinct was to tell the truth, I also wanted to protect Sam Adams' reputation, considering our valuable friendship.

Sam Adams has always been a positive influence and a friend to me. He has many outstanding qualities to bring to his position as mayor of the city of Portland, and I wish nothing but the best for him. I hope this subject can ultimately be put to rest, and I sincerely believe in Sam Adams and what he can do for the city of Portland as mayor. Again, I truly apologize to those were affected by my mishandling of the situation in 2007.

Sincerely,
Beau Breedlove

Portland Paper Call For Adams Resignation

The Portland Oregonian today published an editorial calling for the resignation of openly gay Mayor Sam Adams in the wake of his admission of a sexual relationship with a then teenage former staffer.

Adams said this week that he lied because he did not think voters would believe him if he said that his relationship with Breedlove was not illegal. Perhaps he was right, but it was not renewed faith in the judgment of Portlanders that prompted the mayor to come clean with them. It was simply that he was being pressed by the Willamette Week newspaper, and the lie was not sustainable on any of several levels.

So now, Portlanders are left with a mayor whose election was built on a lie. Nobody knows how the election might have turned out if Adams' conscience had gotten the best of him in a more timely way. But he preferred not to put it to the test. Nobody -- not even the mayor -- knows if his sense of right and wrong will fail him again, but he is asking us to give him another chance. In his Tuesday news conference Adams responded to one question this way: "If it's no longer in the city's best interest for me to stay on, I will resign."

He's already said he doesn't plan to quit, but we submit that it is not in the city's interest to have a mayor who cannot vouch for his own character under fire.

He should resign.

The flap began in 2007 when Adams' also openly gay opponent Bob Ball began spreading rumors about Adams and the staffer, prompting Adams to publish a full page ad denying Ball's claim.

Portland TV On Adams Controversy

Adams is in DC for the inauguration. Despite all the inauguration hoopla, his story is dominating the Portland media.

Portland Oregon's Gay Mayor Sam Adams Admits Sexual Relationship With Teenage Former Staffer In 2005

Portland, Oregon's just-inducted openly gay mayor, Sam Adams, 44, has confessed to having had a sexual relationship with teenage former staffer Beau Breedlove in 2005. Adams was a county commissioner at the time. Although Adams and Breedlove met when the teen was 17 years old, Adams maintains that he and Breedlove did not have sex until Breedlove was 18. Adams apologized to the local press today:

"Until today I have not discussed the true nature of the relationship with anyone. Not my friends, family, staff or colleagues on the council. I have apologized to Beau Breedlove for asking him to lie for me. I want to apologize to my colleagues for my dishonesty and especially to the people of Portland for my dishonesty. I should have been truthful from the beginning,"

Adams had been questioned about his relationship with the then-teen before his November election, but both he and and the young man told the press at the time that their relationship had only been platonic. It not yet clear why Adams has now admitted the relationship or whether he intends to stay in office. Adams' election in 2008 was hailed by LGBT activists, as Portland had become the largest city in the country with an openly gay mayor.

UPDATE: The Freepers are ecstatic.

UPDATE II: Here's Adams' 2007 open letter to Portlanders vehemently denying the relationship.

UPDATE III: JMG reader Jon sends us this radio interview that Adams made today with a Portland station. The sound is somewhat borked at times.

Portland's Gay Mayor Sworn In

Portland, Oregon's new openly gay mayor Sam Adams was sworn in shortly after midnight yesterday with his partner and mother looking on. Portland is now the nation's largest city with an openly gay mayor.