Ever have one of those trivial questions that float around the back of your head? In December, I blogged about a Fresh Air interview in which Terry Gross had mentioned that "three evangelical leaders had to step down from their positions because of gay relationships that they had . . " in 2006. I knew she was referencing the Colorado reverends Ted Haggard and Paul Barnes, but I didn't know what the third scandal was. I even Googled gay sex scandals, but only Haggard and Barnes came up. Eventually, I just let it go as one of those little, unimportant mysteries that would solve itself or I would forget about.
Well, today I think the mystery is solved. There was a development today in a forgotten (to me at least) conservative gay sex scandal that occurred at the beginning of 2006. Anti-gay activist, Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Member, and Tulsa church pastor, Lonnie W. Latham was arrested in Oklahoma City in January, 2006, for asking an undercover male cop to come up to his hotel for oral sex. Ironically, Latham's lawyer today used the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas US Supreme Court decision to argue that he has a constitutional right to have gay sex. The constitutionality of Latham's "lewdness" arrest is questionable since no money was offered. Even the ACLU is challenging his arrest. How does someone legally distinguish between "lewdness" and making an awkward pass?
While the hypocritical gay sex scandal is old news, it's nice that one those lingering questions in my mind is finally solved.
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