John Perry Ryan was sentenced today to 7 ½ years in jail for spreading pornographic images of children online. District Court Judge William Sessions said of the crimes, “”Truly heinous… It’s one of the most egregious child pornography cases I’ve ever seen… The descriptions in chat rooms are just abhorrent, just beyond belief.” But his advocates see it differently. Ryan, a former gay rights activist, received a strong show of support from officials in Provincetown, MA, his former home. His backers included a former Superintendent of Schools, a former town director of Public Health and Human Services, and a former...