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His 'leadership changed Mass. forever' - Ex-congressman Gerry Studds dies
Boston Globe ^ | October 15, 2006 | Bryan Marquard

Posted on 10/15/2006 5:13:02 PM PDT by madprof98

Gerry E. Studds, who championed environmental, maritime, and fisheries issues during 24 years in the US House of Representatives and lent an eloquent voice to health and human rights matters, died early yesterday.

First elected in 1972, Studds entered politics as part of a generation emboldened by its opposition to the Vietnam War and turned his focus in Congress to issues close to the hearts of his constituents. A Democrat, Studds had been reelected five times when in 1983 he became the first member of Congress to openly acknowledge he was gay.

[snip]

He publicly disclosed his sexual orientation [only] after a former congressional page, then 27, said in 1983 that he and the congressman had a sexual relationship a decade earlier, when the page was 17.

[snip]

``Gerry's leadership changed Massachusetts forever and we'll never forget him," US Senator Edward M. Kennedy said in a statement. ``

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: barfalert; dementedpervert; foley; foleygate; gerrystudds; hypocrisyinaction; pagescandal
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It's true. Massachusetts today is about as disgusting a place as any in the world.
1 posted on 10/15/2006 5:13:04 PM PDT by madprof98
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To: madprof98

Following are excerpts from the report of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct regarding Rep. Gerry E. Studds' (D-Mass.) relationship with a male page:

One former page testified under oath that he had heard a rumor that Rep. Studds had traveled overseas with a congressional page. He could not recall the name of the page who allegedly made the trip. In another deposition, another former page provided the name of the page rumored to have traveled overseas with Rep. Studds.

In his deposition, the male page who had allegedly traveled to Europe with Rep. Studds testified that he had visited Rep. Studds' apartment at the congressman's invitation on at least three or four occasions in 1973 and that Rep. Studds and the page had engaged in sexual activity on each of those occasions.

The page testified that in late July, 1973, Rep. Studds invited him to travel abroad during the August recess. The page agreed, and the two took a 2 1/2 week trip together abroad. According to the page's testimony, they engaged in sexual activity every two or three days during this trip.

The page was 17 years old during the time he testified that he had a sexual relationship with Rep. Studds; the relationship may have begun when the page was 16, since the page was born in the spring of 1956. At that time, Rep. Studds was 36 years old.

Two other former pages, both male, have stated under oath that Rep. Studds made sexual advances to them in 1973 while they were serving as House pages. One was 16 or 17 years old at the time of the alleged incident; the other was 17.

The special counsel's staff interviewed the former page who had traveled with Rep. Studds twice before his deposition. At each interview the page admitted traveling to Europe with Rep. Studds, but he denied that he had been sexually propositioned by the member, and he denied that there had been a sexual relationship between them.

Then, just prior to his deposition, the page took aside a member of the special counsel's staff and told him that he had not been telling the truth. He stated then, and testified under oath in his deposition, that he had a sexual relationship with Rep. Studds while serving as a House page during the spring and summer of 1973.

The page testified that another page introduced him to Rep. Studds and a group of other congressmen at a restaurant in May or June, 1973. According to the page's testimony under oath, sometime after this introduction, Rep. Studds invited the page to the representative's house in Georgetown for dinner:

Q. After you met Congressman Studds, did you and he get together again shortly after that?

A. Yes. Shortly thereafter--I am not sure how long, how long it was--but I was invited to go out to dinner with him and I did. The dinner took place at his apartment in Georgetown. Would you wish a follow-up question?

Q. The follow-up question would be what happened at that dinner?

A. Well, we sat around and talked about abstract and general questions, all types and descriptions, until four in the morning, drinking vodka and cranberry juice, at which time I was told by the congressman that he was too drunk to give me a ride home and so he said, Why don't you sleep here? and I did.

At that point, according to the page's testimony, the congressman engaged the page in sexual activity.

The page testified that the sexual relationship continued after that first night:

Q. Did you and the congressman get together subsequent to this?

A. Yes. I would imagine we had dinner three or four additional times. Specifically I do not recall. But that is in the ballpark.

Q. And did you engage in sexual activity each time?

A. Yes.

Q. When the congressman first invited you to have dinner and as you got to know the congressman, how did you feel in that environment, that a congressman was talking with you?

A. I was flattered and excited.

Q. Did you feel intimidated?

A. No, I did not. I would like to state at this time--it would probably have been better if I had stated this in my opening statement--but the congressman or the Honorable Gerry Studds was an intelligent, witty, gentle man with I think a high level of insecurity. He did nothing to me which I would consider destructive or painful.

In another time, in another society, the action would be acceptable, perhaps even laudable. Unfortunately this is not the case. I have no ax to grind with him. I have nothing negative to say about the man. In fact, I thought that he provided me with one of the more wonderful experiences of my life, if we exclude the instances of sexual experience which I was somewhat uncomfortable with. But I did not think it was that big a deal.

Q. You said you felt uncomfortable with it, did you continue with him because he was a congressman, because he was someone you were impressed with?

A. No. Well, I kept company with him because he was an intelligent man, a fun person to be with. If I could have had my druthers, I would have had the friendship that I had with the man without the sex. And I mentioned that to him.

According to the page's testimony, his sexual relationship with Rep. Studds continued during their trip together in August, 1973. The evidence does not indicate that any official funds were used for the trip. The page testified that he paid his own air fare to Europe, and a portion of the cost of meals and lodging with Rep. Studds. The page testified that his relationship with Mr. Studds ended when they returned to the United States. The page also testified as follows:

Q. Did Mr. Studds ever offer any preferential treatment or offer you any inducement to have a relationship with him?

A. No, he did not.

Q. Did he ever threaten you or coerce you if you did not have a relationship with him?

A. He did not. Essentially all I needed to do to stop the relationship was walk out the door, or not go in the door, as the case may be.

The page testified that he is not homosexual and he had not had a homosexual relationship prior to his relationship with Rep. Studds.


2 posted on 10/15/2006 5:17:34 PM PDT by Diago ("Upon hearing about such things, I confess that I'm tempted to look for my shotgun and baseball bat")
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To: madprof98

Do you know what he died from?


3 posted on 10/15/2006 5:18:25 PM PDT by TheHound (You would be paranoid too - if everyone was out to get you.)
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To: madprof98

What a shame that there isn't a way for decent states to expel wretched places such as MA that have absolutely nothing in the way of moral values common to the majority of the states.


4 posted on 10/15/2006 5:22:36 PM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: TheHound
Do you know what he died from?

Bad meat in a can?

5 posted on 10/15/2006 5:24:01 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: madprof98

Why don't they just go ahead and name him Saint Gerry and get it over with?


6 posted on 10/15/2006 5:28:53 PM PDT by clintonh8r (American first, conservative second.....Republican a distant third.)
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To: TheHound
"Do you know what he died from?"

Head trauma, obtained while walkig his dog in Boston.

That soumds like BS to me, but I read it in todays local paper.

7 posted on 10/15/2006 5:29:51 PM PDT by Radix
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To: TheHound
Do you know what he died from?

Probably not from embarrassment....

8 posted on 10/15/2006 5:31:25 PM PDT by clintonh8r (American first, conservative second.....Republican a distant third.)
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To: madprof98
Massachusetts today is about as disgusting a place as any in the world.

Ever lived here?
If not, that's a bold statement.

9 posted on 10/15/2006 5:31:50 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (I can't complain...but sometimes I still do.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

If a "place" can be defined by its elected officials, it must be pretty bad. The MA congressional caucus must be the most repulsive gang of politicians ever to come from the same state.


10 posted on 10/15/2006 5:33:58 PM PDT by clintonh8r (American first, conservative second.....Republican a distant third.)
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To: TheHound
Do you know what he died from?

Renewed publicity.

11 posted on 10/15/2006 5:39:29 PM PDT by Socratic ( "Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied" - J.S. Mill)
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To: clintonh8r

Didn't I hear he had AIDS?


12 posted on 10/15/2006 5:42:28 PM PDT by Northern Yankee ( Stay The Course!)
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To: madprof98
``Gerry's leadership changed Massachusetts forever and we'll never forget him," US Senator Edward M. Kennedy said in a statement. ``

Oh, give me a break.

The man was a qu-, uh, homosexual and everything he might ever have accomplished is belittled by his perversions.

And as for you, Teddy, we'll never forget you and a certain bridge and an Oldsmobile and a young girl named Mary Jo.

A pox on damned politicians, especially the perverts from Massatwoshits.

And that goes for you too, Deval Patrick and John F'n Kerry.

What is it about that place, that breeds these fools and perverts?

I used to love Mass, hey, my mom was born in Springfield.

But with all the crap coming out of there lately, I'd not care a whit if it all slid into the Atlantic.

13 posted on 10/15/2006 5:55:56 PM PDT by OldSmaj (I am a sworn enemy of islam and all things muslim. And that's the end of the discussion.)
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To: madprof98

When I read "his leadership changed Mass forever" I thought a great priest had died. Opps!


14 posted on 10/15/2006 5:56:25 PM PDT by fkabuckeyesrule (Go Bucks.....beat Indiana!!!)
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To: TheHound

HIV VIRUS


15 posted on 10/15/2006 6:04:13 PM PDT by lucky american (We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails)
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To: madprof98
I hear the Library of Congress is deleting all bookmarks to save money.
From now on, they'll just bend over the pages...
16 posted on 10/15/2006 6:05:23 PM PDT by Aut Pax Aut Bellum (When in doubt, empty your magazine...)
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To: madprof98
The Candidate from NAMBLA did the country one single enormous service by assuming room temperature to end the Drive By Media Mark Foley campaign.


17 posted on 10/15/2006 6:05:25 PM PDT by FormerACLUmember
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To: FormerACLUmember

What does the "National Association of Marlon Brando Look Alikes" have to do with this?


18 posted on 10/15/2006 6:06:08 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: clintonh8r

California will give em a run for their money as being a disgusting political arena.


19 posted on 10/15/2006 6:06:45 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Father of a 10th Mountain Division 2nd BCT Soldier fighting in Mahmudiyah)
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To: SoldierDad
During his service he vastly expanded the...horizons of those participating in the Congressional Page program. he filled a gaping...need for...
20 posted on 10/15/2006 6:15:13 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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