Indiana Rep under pressure to resign after offering male teen money for sex
Sun. August 14, 2011 7:55 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
rep. phillip hinkle (r)
photo credit // www.in.gov
Family allegedly offered $10,000 to keep the rendezvous quiet
Chicago, IL -
Indiana Rep. Phillip Hinkle is under pressure to resign after accusations that he offered to pay an 18-year-old man "for a really good time."
According to a report published Friday by the Indianapolis Star, the anti-gay Republican lawmaker responded to a Craigslist posting by Kameryn Gibson, which requested a "sugga daddy." Hinkle then promised cash up front, with a tip of $50 or $60 for the teen to spend time with him at an Indianapolis hotel.
Upon meeting Hinkle at the hotel, Gibson says he tried to leave, but Hinkle told him he could not leave, grabbed him int he rear and exposed himself. Later Hinkle gave the teen an iPad, BlackBerry and $100.
Ironically, the BlackBerry Hinkle gave to Gibson was his own personal cellphone.
"I was like, ‘Your husband is gay,'" Megan said. "And then she was like, ‘You have the wrong person.'" His wife reportedly asked Megan not to call the police.
Megan says she then began to receive calls from other members of Hinkle's family, offering her $10,000 to keep quiet.
Hinkle has not contested the emails but told the Star, "I am aware of a shakedown taking place."
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, refused to call for Hinkle's resignation calling the scandal a "family tragedy."
Though a number of Republicans, including Marion County Republican Chairman Kyle Walker, have called for Hinkle's resignation.
Hinkle, a 64-year-old married Republican, voted for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, approves of abstinence-only sex education and prayer in public schools.
"This is almost a textbook example of what happens when someone is not allowed, by either community attitudes or by personal conflicts, to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity," Aaron Schaler, president of Indiana Stonewall Democrats, told the Star.
According to a report published Friday by the Indianapolis Star, the anti-gay Republican lawmaker responded to a Craigslist posting by Kameryn Gibson, which requested a "sugga daddy." Hinkle then promised cash up front, with a tip of $50 or $60 for the teen to spend time with him at an Indianapolis hotel.
Upon meeting Hinkle at the hotel, Gibson says he tried to leave, but Hinkle told him he could not leave, grabbed him int he rear and exposed himself. Later Hinkle gave the teen an iPad, BlackBerry and $100.
Ironically, the BlackBerry Hinkle gave to Gibson was his own personal cellphone.
"I was like, ‘Your husband is gay,'" Megan said. "And then she was like, ‘You have the wrong person.'" His wife reportedly asked Megan not to call the police.
Megan says she then began to receive calls from other members of Hinkle's family, offering her $10,000 to keep quiet.
Hinkle has not contested the emails but told the Star, "I am aware of a shakedown taking place."
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, refused to call for Hinkle's resignation calling the scandal a "family tragedy."
Though a number of Republicans, including Marion County Republican Chairman Kyle Walker, have called for Hinkle's resignation.
Hinkle, a 64-year-old married Republican, voted for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, approves of abstinence-only sex education and prayer in public schools.
"This is almost a textbook example of what happens when someone is not allowed, by either community attitudes or by personal conflicts, to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity," Aaron Schaler, president of Indiana Stonewall Democrats, told the Star.