Box Turtle Bulletin
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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyOctober 29th, 2012
It turns out that the bashing of Ryan Wood, as reported by Daily Caller, was a hoax. Over the past day Mr. Wood ratcheted up his claims, asserting that he had been threatened in a series of emails by Philip Frank, the partner of Mark Pocan, the Democratic opponent of the candidate that Wood was supporting.
Kyle Wood, a campaign worker for the Republican congressional candidate Chad Lee, today recanted his statements about being assaulted and choked at his home on Oct. 24, according to Madison police.
The department updated its incident report late Monday afternoon after Wood met with detectives.
Captain Joe Balles, commander of the South District, confirms that Wood recanted his allegations of the beating.
Although he would not go into detail about the case, Balles said, “I updated that press release because I felt it was imperative we get something out there because of the politically charged background this was happening in.”
This is a sad thing. There simply is no winner today. Someone in our community has behaved abominably, has taken the compassion of better people and sought to use it for political advantage. And in the process he hurt a number of people.
He hurt his campaign. Mr. Lee, who put out a press release condemning the attack, now looks like a fool and will lose support from many who will assume that this was a campaign tactic used with his knowledge and approval.
He hurt the political process. These sort of stupid tactics bring down the image of all of those who seek to serve the public. They make the nobility of democracy seem cheap and tawdry.
He hurt Mark Pocan. Of course Pocan wants to win, but he doesn’t want to win on these terms. He wants to take his place in Congress holding the support of the constituents for his articulated positions, not because he opponent was disgraced by a volunteer.
He hurt other gay Republicans. Those who look for reasons to think that gay Republicans are despicable have now found another one.
And he hurt our community. Those who look for reasons to think that all gay people are despicable will not differentiate between parties. In fact, the same anti-gay activists who have been screaming all weekend about how the gay community are intolerant will be giddy with delight at the opportunity to say we are all liars.
And he hurt himself. Iit is also likely that there will be some legal repercussions to this behavior. But worse for Mr. Wood is the personal hurt he has enacted on himself. Not only has he lost the trust or respect of those who know him, but he’s lost his own claim on integrity. And things of this sort take a toll on one’s soul. The mirror is never so kind again.
Last week we said that “Regardless of where we stand on the election of various candidates or our opinions about those who support them, all of us at Box Turtle Bulletin condemn the attack described in the story in no uncertain terms.” That remains true – except that the attack described in the story didn’t happen.
And now we are again united in condemning the extremely irresponsible action of Kyle Wood. That is never, EVER, an acceptable behavior.
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Ryan
October 29th, 2012
What a punk. The only possible silver lining to come from this is if it turns out he colluded with the Daily Caller.
chiMaxx
October 29th, 2012
The only people who are hurt by this are the GOProud spokespeople, who were bashing bloggers and columnists who were holding off on reporting the story because it sounded fishy. Jimmy LaSalvia and Chris Barron shredded what little credibility they still had and have proved that they deserve to be ignored by everyone in the media from now on in perpetuity.
TampaZeke
October 29th, 2012
Oh my god, I’m shocked, SHOCKED I tell you! Who could have possibly imagined?
Randy, now maybe you understand why many of us smelled a rat a million miles away and that we’re not actually hateful bastards.
TampaZeke
October 29th, 2012
chiMaxx, if GOProud didn’t lose all credibility WAY before this incident it isn’t possible for them to lose all credibility. And don’t forget that LaSalvia has his own bogus story about being beaten up by a vicious Republican-hating, homa-sek-shul librul. The crazy runs DEEP!
Ben in Oakland
October 29th, 2012
Well, I hate to say I-hm-hm-hmmmm, but I hm-hm-hmmmm.
Who uses the word “ligature” except a British mystery writer? What kind if idiot would make threats that are so easily traceable, and then showup to execute said threats? and then expect to get away with it?
You’re right, Timothy, except that I don’t think it will occur to right wingers to use this as proof about how horrible gay people are. It doesn’t, as you note, reflect well on right wingers
. I do hope that they throw the book at this butthead, with the full approval of right thinking homosexuals everywhere.
Lucrece
October 30th, 2012
It already made it to the news; the damage is done, and you can bet news coverage won’t bother to correct previously covered reports on this.
Let’s be serious here. Violence among gay men is extremely low — gay bars are model environments compared to straight bars and their violence rates. I never bought that a gay man would break into a home of a simple campaign worker (how did they come to find out he was working for Republicans), and mercilessly beat his own and leave threats of future retaliation.
It’s just insulting that this bastard of a man would be so willing to paint the gay community in such a thuggish manner.
TomTallis
October 30th, 2012
It just shows what he thinks of himself. He’s a deeply and probably irrevocably damaged individual.
TomTallis
October 30th, 2012
http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=38128
It turns out he grew up Amish and then converted to Mormonism. Of course who knows if that’s true or not.
Hunter
October 30th, 2012
Maybe he was hoping for a spot on NOM’s “victims” list — even a TV spot or two. They’re not going to be bothered by the attack not actually happening.
Rowan Bristol
October 30th, 2012
It appears I’m under moderation! Hi, guys! Sorry to call fraud before you did!
Gregory
October 30th, 2012
As long as we fight amoung ourselves – or make fools of ourselves – or stoop to the level of our enemies — we have done their work for them
TampaZeke
October 30th, 2012
Gregory, who is this “we” you’re referring to?
tristram
October 30th, 2012
@TomTallis – thanks for that link. It’s worth reading this guy’s backstory, truth or fiction. For all the damage he did, or tried to do to our ‘gay community,’ I have some empathy for Kyle. There is no doubt from the article that he was involved with the Mormons. He was trying to reconcile an immutable reality with a toxic theology. It is sad that he, knowing he was gay, converted to a religion whose own gay children commit suicide in diproportionate numbers. I hope he finds a community that accepts his whole self and helps him heal.
Rowan Bristol
October 30th, 2012
Well, when you internalize a message that as a white christian republican you’re the victim against the violent hordes of your dark skinned welfare loving enemies…And no violence takes place…where the opposite side gets all the ‘fun’ of actually being maligned, abused and beaten…Shit like this happens.
What always pisses me off about these actions is the lack of commitment. In a post-Shepard era, he had to know what a legitimate beating would look like, and the amount of force it would require. He could have recruited some help. Is he saying that there’s not one republican in Wisconsin who would beat up and strangle a gay man to help win an election?
Isn’t his faith worth a few teeth at the least?
Regan DuCasse
October 30th, 2012
Sometimes, my ever analytical mind has to always go much deeper and ask more invasive questions about crimes.
Many of us thought this smelled from the outset, and didn’t want to make a conclusion until more time or evidence passed scrutiny.
It’s way out of character for gay men to commit a violent attack in a PACK like this.
Any POLITICAL stunts that have been done, haven’t involved any life threatening violence, but basically throwing glitter or confetti, pulling up lawn signs and such. Barely reaching the level of misdemeanor.
The most serious event, was the gunman at FRC, and even HIS actions appear half hearted in comparison to other attempts or actual mass shootings.
And I’m seriously believing that the man in the FRC incident, really DIDN’T want to hurt anyone to make his point. The charges are adding up to having a gun, and his intent, rather than the result itself. I’m wondering what his defense attorney will break this down to. I’d really like to know. Because this wasn’t a TRAGEDY by any stretch, the news cycle lost interest.
I’m wondering, even if his defense attorney was able to get some of the charges reduced, I wonder at the judge’s discretion in sentencing and motivation to make this man suffer a lot more than if he were a straight perpetrator.
THAT is not out of the realm of possibility.
Gays and lesbians HAVE been dealt much harsher punishments than straight males for similar crimes.
Now that this issue has been revealed to be a hoax. Now comes the filing a false police report consequence. We shall see.
Michael Kimzey
October 30th, 2012
He is a gay republican so it’s hardly a stretch to go from lying to yourself to lying to everyone else.
Robert
October 30th, 2012
As I suspected. Many of the statements and the circumstances changed fro story to story, but some believed despite those alterations of the story (T.K??).
And when do we, who suspected such an outcome, get an apology for all the written bs in response to our suspicions?
Mr. Kincaid, I’m talking dirctly to you, who pooh poohed all of us who were, rightfully, suspect of this report.
This entire thing was about more than just an election. Many of the published stories, and one that was outright pulled on the 25th, were anti-hate crime legislation screeds.
Kincaid says there are no winners here and I disagree. The TRUTH won out here, and that is what some of us were waiting for, the TRUTH. It also goes to show to what extent the Right Wing gays, like this man, La Salva and his ilk will go to to combat the idea of Hate Crimes legislation.
On it’s surface it was just a story about political subterfuge, while at it’s core it was another attempt to belittle the needed Hate Crimes Legislation.
I think someone else owes the community an apology, but I’m sure all we will see is another long line of reasons why he shouldn’t.
And NOW can you take all the other stories off the permanant side bar? Do they really belong there in the first place?
Timothy Kincaid
October 30th, 2012
Mr. Kincaid, I’m talking dirctly to you, who pooh poohed all of us who were, rightfully, suspect of this report.
At no point did I pooh pooh anyone about this.
Lord_Byron
October 30th, 2012
So it looks like he did this to frame his boss’s political opponent. Classy.
Sami
October 30th, 2012
Is anyone really suprised that a gay Republican would use the same phony victim tactic as his fellow Republicans at NOM?
Rowan Bristol
October 30th, 2012
Robert, Timothy just wanted to present a teachable moment about how both sides are capable of acts of extreme violence, perpetuated in the height of the political season, and how we should reflect on how, at our core, we’re all really alike, and how our condemnations of malice and viciousness by the right, especially the self-hating gay right, can cause real physical harm.
The fact that it was an obvious fraud that turned out to be politically motivated by a privileged white christian in an attempt to ‘other’ his opponent has nothing to do with the lesson Timothy wanted to teach us.
Why can’t we understand that we’re just as horrible as people who commit fraud and in the process, openly mock victims of real violence?
Why can’t we understand his lesson?
Stop picking on Timothy!
backwardb12
October 30th, 2012
“But worse for Mr. Wood is the personal hurt he has enacted on himself. Not only has he lost the trust or respect of those who know him, but he’s lost his own claim on integrity”.
The above quote is a bunch of whooey. This will only make him a further star in the Republican Party. These are the creds most admired by the Republican Party. Mr. Wood will now zoom to the top of the Republican Party leadership. They now know for sure that he has the characteristics that make the finest Republican leader. What’s next? A backward B on his cheek?
Robert
October 30th, 2012
yeah, certainly, Timothy didn’t pooh pooh anyone, but posted three stories on the same issue, all the while never having any sceptical remarks himself, until he had to.
Hue-Man
October 30th, 2012
I’ve no idea if this was orchestrated but to me it is a repeat of the ACORN, Planned Parenthood, and similar attacks. The TeaParty/GOP has set up a counter-reality, reinforced by its mouthpiece, Fox News, that is counter-factual and includes some well-worn morality tales: Democrats are evil. Gays are evil. Gay Democrats are especially evil and dangerous.
This false story feeds into that narrative and no amount of correction – in the unlikely event Fox News ever corrects itself – will remove this evil Gay Democrat beats poor downtrodden Republican story from the Republican canon.
It is even less reassuring when the “leader” of the TeaParty/GOP (not Limbaugh or Beck) lies, then reinforces the lies when he’s caught lying. Latest example, “100% of Jeep production is moving from North America to China”.
AlexH
October 30th, 2012
Pocan and/or Frank should continue the slander suit against Wood, not because of any remuneration that they might receive but to clear their name — publicly.
Clearly, Wood has mental issues and will hopefully seek treatment and counseling.
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