Portland Mayor Sam Adams Admits Sexual Affair With 18-Year-Old

Zed - What do you mean "a standard that most any american would not be able to meet"? Do you really feel that this country is that depraved? I myself meet this "standard", as do all of the people I associate with during my daily life. Of course, I choose not to associate with gay pedophiles. Just because it's not illegal, does not make it acceptable to the voters who elected Adams. The political bias in Portland is so heavily slanted to the left that they just HAD to elect an openly gay mayor. Well, this is what you get when you vote based on associations and ideals, and fail to examine the CANDIDATE! Just another reason I'm glad I moved out of Portland. I may have to work here, but at least I get to see it in my rear view mirror every night...

Sam needs to step down. This is not a gay or straight issue. It is about protecting children and abusing power. I think the more gay people that stand up against Sam will help prove that it has nothing to do with being gay it has to do with being a pervert.

I agree. The city, county, state of Oregon still trying to grasp at straws when there are none. The Mabraeth Trust fund must be given immediately; blogger.com, AndrewDamonMabraeth

I hope that the gay community in Portland will lead the charge to recall this guy. He has shown himself completely untrustworthy and has done imeasurable damage to the gay community. He has destroyed the trust that the people of Portland put in him.

The relationship of a politician to his constituents is akin to an employee to his or her boss. The voters of Portland "hired" Sam Adams by voting for him. If a requirement of the job is honesty -- about anything -- and you know that, and you go ahead and lie anyway, then your boss has a right to fire you. If Sam Adams had been caught in a lie about financial transactions, a past criminal record, or a controversial past political affiliation, it would be the same thing. Sam Adams initially lied by misrepresenting himself to Breedlove's parents as a "mentor." Then he lied about the relationship, and then counseled Breedlove to lie as well. The issue here is trust. Voters in Portland -- his "boss"-- have every right to feel that he cannot be trusted as their leader. That's what politics is like, whether you agree with it or not.

We bitch and moan about not being accepted by the world and then a lot of us don't have the common sense to filter what we portray to the world. I don't think there's anything wrong with a 42 yr. old guy dating an 18 yr. old, however, he should consider how this may look to those who criticize the gay community. I'm certainly no prude, but I've stopped going to gay bars because younger (and even older) gay generation(s) seem to be so shallow and materialistic with no personal "depth" (the "A" list thing has got to go - please....who needs it unless your self esteem is nonexistent) and gay parades have become a turn off to me because they've become nothing but floats with nearly naked people flaunting their stuff. Who needs to see which buff, sculped guy has the biggest bulge, Lesbians flaunting naked breasts or dry humping in public. It's become ridiculous. This IS NOT gay pride to me. Wake up guys and let's use a little integrity and discretion. There's nothing wrong with that.

Is there not ONE gay man in the public eye who's capabable of NOT acting like an idiot and embarrassing us all? If it's not Boy George taking sex hostages, it's George Michael constantly stoned out of his gourd, or Rosie having a childish feud with someone every few months... Or the ex-governor of New Jersey humiliating his then-wife with his forced coming out. And let's not forget the numerous senators and representatives who have given us a black eye along the way. Now, we have a lying, chicken-hawk gay mayor! I do not want to hear any more whining about drag queens or shirtless guys dancing on Pride prade floats giving us a bad image. It's our leaders, whether political or in popular culture, who are making us look like untrustworthy, uncontrollable, sex and drug-addled nuts. Neil Patrick Harris and Ellen can't be the only two respectable public faces we have? Maybe they are.

This issue here is not sex –legal or not. He lied. The gay community can not afford politically to have representatives who seek such offices achieve it the way he did. Whether we want to like it or not, minorities have to aspire to a higher standard --another cross to bear. Frankly, his action with the boy is of no concern to me personally, his lack of political skill and the ability to “man up” are most disheartening. He should have admitted it and dealt with it when accused. The gay community may or may not have a more liberal acceptance of sex and age issues in general but when advancing one’s career one must at least be smart enough to know that sex still freaks out a great many people and if you have done a few “questionable” deeds then before you step out learn to step up in a way that deals with the deed and neutralizes the issue.

If Breedlove was an 18-year-old when their sexual relationship began, this is nobody's business but their own. Mayor Adams shouldn't have lied about it, but he had no obligation to talk about it, either. Unlike to Clinton-Lewinsky mess, Adams was not married, Breedlove was not his employee, Adams did not subsequently try to get him a job to shut him up, and Adams did not lie about the matter in a sworn deposition to a different legal case.

People have sex. People lie about having sex. Do I think either rises to the level of a politician having to resign or be recalled from office. NO. We are such a prurient voyeuristic hypocritical society. The last time I checked we were governed by the Constitution, not the Ten Commandments. Can public stoning be far behind? Sam is a bright guy who can deliver on making Portland a world class city.