Alabama A.G. Troy King joins a long line of Republicans who made a career out of railing against the evils of homosexuality. Now, the rumor mill is churning with reports of an alleged gay tryst between King and his male assistant.
No reputable source confirms this rumor at this time. Sorry, but GayWired citing Perez Hilton just doesn’t strike me as a credible way to source a story. The Pensito Review reports that King has been scrubbed from the John McCain campaign’s website, which seems like circumstantial evidence that something strange is going on. Nevertheless, the only real journalist who seems to have run this story is Wonkette, and even she is only citing to other blogs.
The Daily Dixie has the best reporting on this rumor (at least that I have found).
Over the last few weeks of this rumor being propogated, and the last week of this being all over the Internet, there hasn’t been a single shread of corroboration that anything has happened except that Troy King and his wife are on the outs.
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So my conclusion is that Troy King shouldn’t resign over this petty crap, and those of us who are his vocal [and reasonable] opponents shouldn’t jump on this bandwagon of slander. Troy King is unfit for office and has a history of ethical lapses, immature actions, demagoguery, and politicization of his official duties. Do we really have to stoop low and become rumor spreaders? Do we need to go so low as to make unfounded accusations about his sexuality, especially those of us who cite his homophobia as one reason for our opposition?
In other words, right now, I’m filing this “Troy King is Gay” story alongside the expose about Richard Gere and a gerbil.
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I think this one is legit. Where there is smoke, there is a closeted Christian Fundie nutball Conservative desperately trying to put out the fire of his lusty same-sex longings. Besides, when he was in law school he used to write letters to the newspapers railing on the evils of homosexuality. A definite closet case indicator.
I have very little doubt that this guy is a closet case. You are right, it is usually a sign of self-loathing and overcompensation when a guy is so screamingly homophobic. Nevertheless, I don’t dig unfounded rumors that can mess up a guy’s life, even if he deserves to be smacked upside the head.
Damn, what a great blog! So well written and informative! Thank you! Keep up the brilliant and incisive work!
I have to agree with the preceding comments and this blog entry. Troy King is a festering sack, it’s true, a hypocrite, a sleaze, and a bigot, but is this story about him being caught in bed actually true? Could be, perhaps, maybe, and I’d certainly believe it instantly… but there’s no good source on it yet.
So, yes, as much as I’d like to see him humiliated and turned out of office and reviled by the Republicans in general, we shouldn’t stoop to the tactics of Fox News to do so.
When I saw these rumors, I thought one “fact” gave it away as a developing urban legend: That the young aid involved with “Troy King” had been the Homecoming “King” at “Troy” University. Too silly to be true, right? Turns out that the 2006 Troy U. homecoming king IS his special assistant. I won’t post his name here — whether or not the rumors are true, the poor kid doesn’t need that publicity. It took only took a few minutes on google to confirm this.
In no way does it prove that the rumor is true — it only verifies an unlikely coincidence that had made it seem (to me) as though the rumor was probably untrue.
Also, true or not, TK is getting a taste of what it feels like when everyone else thinks they have the right to question your sexuality, your relationships and your family. Learning experience? Yeah, right.
True, there has been no “smoking gun” per se. However, there are numerous suspicious indicators.
The young man who is Troy King’s assistant (whose name, JW Godwin, is certainly not a secret or difficult to find out) deleted his Facebook page (not changed or restricted but totally removed) after this story hit the blogosphere.
Troy King, who was named the Alabama Campaign Manager of John McCain’s presidential campaign in January, has totally been obliterated from the McCain website. When I called McCain’s headquarters and asked about it, I was told that they had not announced his Alabama leadership team yet, although I had in hand a copy of the January press release in which King was identified as such. I was then asked my name and phone number which I of course declined to give.
These two things seem to be indicative that there is at least some truth to the so-called rumor.
Clay has a point. In all honesty, I don’t know for a FACT whether or not the story is true. It’s why I haven’t started posting on it myself, but there are some things that I can’t ignore, and bringing up these points seems to get the King supporters rather riled up.
1. This was started when someone from King’s office started contacting local bloggers and media. I got an email myself, but I’ve not been blogging for some time, and I dismissed it at first.
2. Mention of King was scrubbed from the McCain website.
3. The aid’s Facebook page was deleted.
4. King himself, upon anticipating a Sunday news story, apparently believed that there was enough out there to schedule a press conference which he later canceled. There was no shrugging it off. There was an actual press conference planned.
5. The reaction from some Alabama GOPers was not what you’d expect of a ridiculous rumor. I’ve come to expect joking and laughing and shrugging off the more “out there” rumors. Instead, we have GOP political consultants responding to blogs with talking points, and conspiracy theorists. (THIS was what finally got my attention.)
6. Dan’s reasoning. It happens to be a reasoning I share. Why make stuff up when the truth is sufficient to bury this guy? Any political enemy need only look at this guy’s very public and very questionable history. There’s no real motive.
The previous poster has been shown to be dishonest on multiple blogs that he is using to spread his disinformation.
The fact is that these false rumors are being promulgated by the gay lobby and other left leaning sources.
This well orchestrated gutter politic smear campaign swung into gear 2 weeks ago when the 4rth in a series of polls indicated that King was by far the frontrunner for Governor in 2010.
Yeah, right, Daniel. The whole “Troy King is gay” thing has been around for a while. This isn’t a new rumor in reaction to a recent poll.
The rumors probably really started when he was in law school and was a just a little too anti-gay to be straight. They were also big when Troy assumed office and kept hiring young pretty boys on his staff.
So the rumors are not a “hit job” that come from no where. You may make the case that these are being propagated on the Internet to smear a front runner for Gov. But it also coincided with certain events at the King household.
more here
I appreciate the comments, but I still see nothing credible to back this “story” up. For all the circumstantial-stereotype evidence, we still have NOBODY credible with anything to say on this. This is no more well-founded than the “Obama is a Muslim” rumors.
I hate that you all put me in a position of defending Troy King, but I must. The man’s career is built upon a mountain of social conservative skulls. Simply repeating a rumor doesn’t magically transform it into the truth.
Although Troy King is a public figure, I believe that the level of reckless disregard for the truth in this rumor mongering might very well put one of the mongers on the wrong side of the actual malice test. See New York Times v. Sullivan
marcaorandazza, knock off the fear-mongering. King will not be suing anyone; truth is an absolutely defense and he cannot afford to allow a trial (even if he were to win). And there is more than enough to get passed actual malice already… but most newspapers with assets will wait awhile longer. Someone will talk.
What “fear mongering?” This post isn’t about a potential lawsuit, it is about using your First Amendment rights responsibly. If you have evidence that this rumor is true, then post it. Otherwise, you are no better than the “Obama is a secret Muslim” types.
Much as I like seeing hypocrites exposed, I need to say that until some credible information is published, Mr. King is innocent.
I will say, however, that the silence from both the established press and Mr. King’s camp is interesting. In Mr. Kings case, it doesn’t confirm the rumor, but it doesn’t deny it either.
It is interesting. However, perhaps Mr. King sees no need to dignify such rumors with a response.
I must say that the silence from those who wanted to tear him down is deafening.
Of course, isn’t the correct answer here “so what if he is gay?” Well, no, not really. For example, there are also unsubstantiated rumors about Florida Gov. Charlie Crist being gay. If he is, I wouldn’t like to see it used against him. Why not? Because he not only has refused to support Amendment 2, but he has never (to my knowledge) used this wedge issue. Gay or not, the guy is a decent governor and his orientation is not in play, because he never put it into play.
I am better late than never I guess, but this ‘rumor’ is 100% true. I have friends in the higher ups in the Alabama Gov’t and they all KNOW it’s true. Troy King has even been spotted at the local YMCA doing ‘favors’ for people. So yes, it’s true, albeit very hush hush.