Minnesota representative urged to step down following gay-sex scandal
A member of the Minnesota House of Representatives has been urged to step down by his party leaders after admitting to having a gay-sex liaison with a 17-year-old he met on the internet.
Rep. Kerry Gauthier, 56, and unmarried, admitted having oral sex with the teenager at a rest-stop. The police report detailed that the teenager responded to a post on Craigslist, calling for no-strings-attached sex.
Gauthier, of St Paul, Minnesota, elected in 2010, will not be charged by authorities over the incident, as the teenager was over 16, the legal age of consent in the state of Minnesota.
Ken Martin, Democratic Party Chairman, commented on the matter: “His actions are inexcusable” and “no one in our party condones what he did, nor will we defend him in this matter.”
House Minority Leader, Paul Thissen, also released a statement saying: “I believe he should withdraw from the race for re-election.”
A Republican House Majority Leader, Matt Dean, called for Gauthier to resign immediately: “I don’t see any reason for him not to resign,” he continued: “it’s the appropriate thing for him to do.”
If Gauthier were to step down, it could damage the Democrats’ hold on his seat, which is normally safely held by the party.
