Official Regrets Advice to Gay Student
Kevin Jennings was teaching high school in 1988 when a gay student confessed an involvement with an older man. Rather than reporting it, he told the boy, "I hope you knew to use a condom."
The Obama administration Wednesday defended an Education Department official over advice he gave a gay student about sex 21 years ago.
The official, Kevin Jennings, says he should have handled the situation differently when he told the boy he hoped he had used a condom during a sexual encounter with an older man.
Jennings, who now heads the department's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, has been under fire from conservatives and right-wing groups for not reporting the incident to authorities or to the boy's parents.
In a statement Wednesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Jennings has devoted his career to promoting school safety.
"He is uniquely qualified for his job, and I am honored to have him on our team," Duncan said.
Jennings was teaching high school in Concord, Mass., in 1988 when a sophomore boy confessed of an involvement with an older man in Boston.
Telling the story a dozen years later, Jennings described how the boy told of meeting the man in a bus station bathroom and going home with him. Jennings said he told the boy, "My best friend had just died of AIDS the week before. You know, I hope you knew to use a condom." Jennings was speaking during a conference of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which he founded.
Conservative psychology professor Warren Throckmorton unearthed an audiotape of Jennings' comments to the conference and posted it on his Web site recently.
In the Education Department statement Wednesday, Jennings said, "21 years later, I can see how I should have handled the situation differently.
"I should have asked for more information and consulted medical or legal authorities," he said. "Teachers back then had little training and guidance about this kind of thing. All teachers should have a basic level of preparedness. I would like to see the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools play a bigger role in helping to prepare teachers."
The department noted that Jennings has won honors from groups including the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Education Association and the Massachusetts Counselors Association.
Some NEA members protested their organization's award to Jennings.
Story Reposted From
The Associated Press.
What could possibly go wrong? Mix Guns,Drugs,Kinky Sex and Play Russian Roulette?
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An Orange County, Florida sheriff's deputy admitted to having sex with another man while working off-duty security at a Gay Days event, deputies said.
A gay police sergeant has been jailed for 8 months for kissing and sexually touching a male colleague who had passed out after a drunken Christmas party in the United Kingdom.
David Stevens, 37, was caught masturbating the drunken officer, who had passed out in a hotel room, by a colleague who walked in on them.
He was convicted of sexual assault by a jury at St Albans crown court last month by a majority of 10 to one and appeared for sentence.
Jailing him, Judge Martin Griffith told Stevens: "There is only one sentence I can pass and that sentence is one of immediate custody. You saw his drunken figure and you decided to take advantage of him.
"The courts have a duty to protect vulnerable people especially in this day and age when people drink themselves into such a state they cannot look after themselves."
Earlier his barrister Susannah Stevens said: "As a police officer add to that a police sergeant add to that the fact that he is gay add to that he is to be sentenced for a sex offence he will be regarded in prison as the lowest of the low."
She said: "There is a concern about his mental health. He has been receiving counselling and is a suicide risk."
During the week long trial the jury heard that the Met officers from Stevens' team had their Christmas Party at the Corus Hotel in Elstree, Herts on 4 December 2008.
The victim, who is in a long-term relationship with a woman, decided to stay the night. After a dinner, disco and late night drinking he passed out in his room.
Another officer decided to go and mock him for being unable to hold his drink and when he went into his room he found Stevens lying on top of the victim.
Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff said the officer went back to the room with another colleague at which point Stevens left without a word, looking "flustered".
“The victim was still lying on his bed asleep. It took several attempts in order to rouse him," she told the court.
He told the jury his fellow officer PC Jack Wright had shaken him awake to tell him he has seen him being masturbated by Sergeant Stevens.
"I looked down and my trousers and my boxer shorts were down," he said.
He said words to the effect of “dirty bastard, I never agreed to anything”. He went into a rage and punched holes in his room before driving home, still drunk.
The local Hertfordshire police were called and the bedroom sealed off as a crime scene. When he was arrested, Sergeant Stevens responded with the words, “What's going on here?”
Another officer, PC Chris Cutmore, said Stevens had touched his backside repeatedly during the party. He said: "I took it in good part. I did not think anything of it at the time because I am not in any way homophobic and I knew Dave Stevens was homosexual. I did tell him: 'Dave, I don't swing that way. Can you stop doing that please.'"
Stevens, who lives in North London, had been a Special Constable before joining the Met full-time at the age of 30. He had graduated from Hendon police college with the top student award, but claimed to have found 'ill-feeling' against him because of his background as a special.
Giving evidence, Stevens said that he was at a noisy after-party in the room adjoining the victim's. He said he walked in to see him lying on a bed and tried to shake him awake to get him to come and have a drink. Having failed to rouse him, he said he went to use the toilet and returned to see that he had moved so he ruffled his hair.
He said: "He opened his eyes and looked at me. He looked at me and smiled and I sat on the bed. It was the worse mistake of my life.
"It seems his look and his smile was acceptance and I wanted to see what would happen and I wanted to be closer to him."
Breaking down in tears he said: "Going into that room.... has ruined my career and humiliated me in front of my family and friends."
When he was arrested he said he had to inform his father that he was gay – something he had not previously known.
Stevens must register as a sex offender for the next 10 years.
