November 22nd, 2009
 

365 Gay: News

Oral Arguments Set In Sen. Craig Gay Sex-Sting Appeal


(Minneapolis, Minn.) The Minnesota Court of Appeals has set Sept. 10 to hear arguments in Sen. Larry Craig’s bid to withdraw the guilty plea he entered after being busted in a gay sex-sting at the Minneapolis airport.

"Craig voted against LGBT issues."
Craig, a three-term Republican from Idaho, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in August 2007 after he was accused of soliciting sex from an undercover police officer.

After his arrest and guilty plea became public, Craig held a news conference to say he is not gay and that he pleaded guilty only to avoid the scandal of a trial.

Craig then tried to withdraw his plea. A judge in Minnesota refused, saying Craig’s plea “was accurate, voluntary and intelligent, and … supported by the evidence.”

Craig appealed that ruling to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Craig has a long history of voting against every LGBT issue that came before the Senate and of supporting two attempts to pass an amendment to the US Constitution to bar gays from marrying.

As publicity mounted, Craig promised that he would resign last Sept. 30. Then he reversed his decision, saying he would stay in office until his term expires next January. Craig says he is not running for re-election.

Craig has said the undercover police officer misinterpreted his foot and hand movements as signals that he wanted sex, giving rise to the nickname “Toe-tapping Larry.”

The Senate Ethics Committee in February said that Craig acted improperly and had brought discredit on the Senate.

In a letter to the Republican senator, the ethics panel said Craig’s attempt to withdraw his guilty plea after his arrest at a Minneapolis airport was an effort to evade legal consequences of his own actions.

Police arrested 41 men last year between May and August in the sting operation but it did not come to light until Sen. Craig’s bust became public.


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  • Mark McGovern Said: August 2nd, 2008 at 7:13 am
    • Senator Craig should be acquitted irrespective of his voting history. His toe tapping proclivities, when tapping toes to other toe tapping adults, should not be a crime. Really, arrested for tapping toes is ridiculous, unless of course the tapper lacks rhythm. That’s another matter altogether.

  • SteveMD2 Said: August 1st, 2008 at 11:36 pm
    • The Republican party is full of Craigs. They are in the closet, so terrified of coming out, that they become anti- gay, and are often the worst of the worst.

      It is about time they all came out, and we support them for their honesty then. And this will be a body slam against the purveyors of religious hatred, our hypocrites and Christian Taliban. Juswt think of all the others, eg Ted Haggard, Rep Foley, the guy who was Falwell’s assistant, the list is endless.

      And now we can understand the cleverness of those who created the closet, and put them in the same hole in the ground as those who created segregation. To hell with them.

  • Rick Said: August 1st, 2008 at 8:12 pm
    • Oral arguments? Senator Craig ought to be good at that! Wait… That’s what got him in trouble to begin with! :-)

  • BM Said: August 1st, 2008 at 7:54 pm
    • I don’t have a comment about the story itself, but I certainly LOVE the headline!!

  • Guy in SF Said: August 1st, 2008 at 6:43 pm
    • (A) “I am not gay. I love my wife, my family. I care about friends and staff and Idaho.” -or- (B) Oh God, I’m Gay!

  • Joshua Said: August 1st, 2008 at 9:55 am
    • I wonder what he will say….

  • Del Said: August 1st, 2008 at 8:09 am
    • Since Craig has fought so hard against what he is, he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law! No sympathy!

 
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