Next Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Judiciary Committee will take up  SB 707, a bill that would amend the constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, as of that is supposed to help protect the institution of marriage and the family. People who are opposed to same-sex marriage frequently use these two points as the reasons why gay marriage is evil, but is that really it?

Two sex scandals this week (there were more, really) just make these seem like the silliest reasons to oppose same-sex marriage. If you want to protect marriage, children and the family, then perhaps we need to start with the heterosexuals.

Utah House Leader Admits Naked Hot-Tubbing With 15-Year Old Girl

Before you get your panties all in a bunch, I am not going to take any swipes at the Republican party here. Sure, Kevin Garn, the gentleman (haha) in the linked story here is a Republican, but our other top scandal-maker this week, is Eric Massa, who is a democrat. I don’t think straight men scandals are determined by party affiliation.

In a nutshell, here is what Garn did:

Maher detailed the incident in an interview with the paper. She said that in 1985, age 15, she was employed by Garn, then 30, at his business, Pegasus Records and KSG Enterprises. Garn, she said, “struck up a relationship” with her, as the paper puts it. One night, he took her to a location in Salt Lake City — it’s unclear where — where they both got in the hot-tub nude.

Garn states that there was no touching of any kind, but come on- a 30 year old man, who was married at the time, getting into a hot tub with a 15 year old employee in the nude. How many things about that are just plain wrong. Just inviting a subordinate, and a minor to get naked with you- that seems exploitative, bordering on direct sexual abuse.

If the incident itself isn’t wrong enough, the coverup and payoff is truly evil.

After she began contacting reporters and legislators with her story, Garn and his wife arranged a meeting with Maher and her Mormon bishop. Garn offered to pay her $20,000, but Maher’s husband insisted it wasn’t enough, and she demanded $150,000. Garn paid up, and had his lawyer draft a non-disclosure agreement in which she pledged not to go public with her story.

Here is the part that really gets my blood boiling.

Garn and his wife arranged a meeting with Maher and her Mormon bishop…

This isn’t a story about some straight white republican who acts inappropriately with a minor. It is a story of a man, and his wife and a Mormon Church official.

Did you catch that? This isn’t a story about some straight white republican who acts inappropriately with a minor. It is a story of a man, and his wife and a Mormon Church official. So, often these types of stories get portrayed as if it is the man who is a dog, but the wife here is as evil as the husband if you ask me, not to mention that a Church official….

But my partner and I who have been together for 12 years, and simply want the same legal and civil rights as a straight couple. Neither of us have ever done anything inappropriate with a minor, nor have we tried to buy off someone’s silence to keep our evil deeds a secret. But we are supposed to be the ones who are a threat to the family and to children?

Really?

Utah House Leader Admits Naked Hot-Tubbing With 15-Year Old Girl | TPMMuckraker.