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Right's New Quarry: Gay Ed. Appointee

Fox et al. say Kevin Jennings didn't act on 1980s statutory rape

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 2, 2009 9:30 PM CDT

(Newser) – One of President Obama’s appointees to the Department of Education has become the latest target for conservatives emboldened by the departures of green-jobs adviser Van Jones and others. Assistant deputy secretary Kevin Jennings is accused of neglecting to report a statutory rape case when he was a teacher in Massachusetts in the 1980s—but records show that the boy involved was 16, legally able to consent under state law.

Left-leaning blogs have jumped to defend Jennings, a longtime gay activist who was in the closet at the time of the incident. David Corn notes that, in essence, the right is vilifying Jennings for not outing the student. “This is now a fight with consequences extending beyond who’s handling safe school policy for President Obama,” he writes for Politics Daily. Rachel Weiner, blogging for the Huffington Post, notes with disdain that mainstream outlets like Politico have picked up on the “distorted” Fox News version.

Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.
Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.   (Facebook)
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The right is vilifying Jennings because he didn't tell the student's parents or the authorities that this closeted gay student was having sex with an older man. That is, he didn't out this student, who was clearly troubled by his inability to be open about his sexual orientation - David Corn

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 30 comments
AdaptAndOvercome
Oct 5, 2009 12:44 PM CDT
THE REPUBLICAN HOMOPHOBES ARE AT IT AGAIN.
Shannonals
Oct 4, 2009 4:48 AM CDT
Hmmmmm, and has anyone wondered why Fox news anchors haven't contacted this mysterious boy? This article has been hot for a few days on the network, but nothing has been said in the past 48 hours.
Shannonals
Oct 4, 2009 4:46 AM CDT
Bit of a Homophobe aren't you chrisb01. You make think your a conservative, but with comments like that it seems you have issues that you need to address, i.e., your personal desires

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