Kyle Wood, the openly gay campaign worker for Republican Congressional nominee Chad Lee, has denied being attacked in his home on October 24 as a result of his sexuality and political views.
Captain Joe Balles confirmed to The Isthmus Daily Page that Wood had indeed recanted his story, but would not go into greater detail about the case. Balles updated the incident report late Monday afternoon, noting it was “imperative” to “get something out there because of the politically charged background this was happening in.”
Jimmy LaSalvia, co-founder of gay Republican group, GOProud, had previously condemned the attack on Kyle Wood as “hate and vitriol directed towards a gay conservative from gay liberals.” Wood claimed he was victimized for opposing openly gay Democratic candidate, Mark Pocan, further alleging that Pocan’s husband, Philip Frank, had sent a series of threatening and “sexually-charged” text messages to Wood prior to his attack.
Conservative website Media Trackers had originally reported on these texts in a story titled, “Mark Pocan’s Husband Told Beaten GOP Operative ‘You’re A Marked Man,’ Threatened and Harassed Via Text Message,” though the headline now reads, “Allegations Fly in Beating of Gay GOP Volunteer,” with the majority of the story, including the texts, removed. However, Red Alert Politics reports:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
After mocking Wood for supporting the Republican candidate, Frank wrote, “Remember your station in life and remember not to cross the husband of a powerful man. You are on shaky footing as it is, push much farther and you won’t have a future in this town, or any other.”
But according to Capt. Balles, those text messages “did not occur,” though he refused to elaborate further. Pocan and Frank are now considering legal action against Wood. Pocan’s campaign manager, Dan McNally, said in a statement: “These allegations are completely false. These text messages are fabricated and we’ve referred this matter to Madison police. We are currently in discussions with an attorney and intend to sue for libel or defamation.”
Balles and the Madison police, after doing their due diligence, will discuss whether any charges will be filed against Wood with the district attorney office.
Since this couldn’t come at a worse time for Chad Lee, what with the Election just days away and Pocan already heavily favored to win, who’s willing to wage that LaSalvia and GOProud will make a statement denouncing Kyle Wood as a liberal spy in the house of Lee who had planned to bring down that political machine from day one. Ten bucks, who’s taking it?
Photo: The Isthmus Daily Page/Seth Jovaag
Dumdum
I’m almost sorry that Kyle Wood didn’t get bashed. And no way would I take that bet Lester. Anyone with half a brain could tell he was lying. I guess that is why GOProud believed him.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
the almost sad irony being that the rightwing, for whom he was so desperate to ingratiate himself with this stunt, will simply throw him under the bus and reverse over him and spin the whole debacle thus: “see, fundamentally you can’t trust ANY them dirty low down queers!” well played, kyle. really well played.
Luci
Even more evidence that these GOProuders are unwell in the head. All of them give me the crazy vibe.
Cam
Of COURSE the story was phony. I was shocked that Queerty ran it. It was no different than when that Gay GOP guy on “The A List Dallas” faked an attack.
Here is an easy way to spot it.
1. They immediatly claim it is because of their politics.
2. They don’t call the police, but call GOProud or some other conservative organization.
Should have been a no brainer. Then again, Since Queerty will it seems often report on stories that make gays look bad and never ever run stories about the groups that are sending massive amounts of money into every state to fight gay rights, I shouldn’t have been surprised that they jumped on this obviously fake story without checking.
GreenmanTN
Several posters here smelled a rat, including me.
“Call me when someone is actually arrested for the crime or there is compelling evidence the attack really happened. Remember the McCain volunteer who scratched a backward (because she was looking in the mirror when she did it) “B” on her face and claimed an Obama supporter attacked her?”
Now I wonder if the posters who insisted it was just those mean ole liberals to do something like this will admit they were wrong? I doubt it.
These fake assaults do so much damage to the gay community that there ought to be a law- fake a anti-gay hate crime and part of the punishment is to get your ass kicked for real by other gays. The worst thing it does is introduce doubt when a REAL crime is reported, where there should BE no doubt! They cry “wolf” and then the next time an anti-gay crime is reported, instead of expressing immediate outrage and sympathy for the victim people hold back, half expecting it to turn out to be fake.
miagoodguy
I hope people realize this isn’t the first gay person (regardless of political affiliation) that has lied about a gay bashing.
Cam
@GreenmanTN: said..
”
These fake assaults do so much damage to the gay community that there ought to be a law- fake a anti-gay hate crime”
_______________
Yes, and you would also expect Queerty to not be so eager to ignore actual attacks against the gay community and yet be so eager to jump on this story that smelled funny from the beginning with no attempt at fact checking.
GreenmanTN
@Cam: Personally, it’s my opinion that if an anti-gay hate crime claim is getting attention in some part of the country it SHOULD be reported, but if there are reasons to doubt it actually happened (and there were reasons to suspect this one was fake) then that should be incorporated into the article too. Particularly when there is a possible political motivation for the claim.
Not in an “Oh, this is obviously bullshit” sort of way unless you KNOW for sure it’s fake, but more along the lines of “Some in the local gay community have doubts about Mr Wood’s story” and what those doubts are based upon.
The report itself, true or false, is news. That doesn’t mean you can’t point out inconsistencies in the story, reasons why it seems a little fishy.
Guillermo3
Judging by Kyle’s appearance and considering that he’s in Wisconsin,
my diagnosis :A bad case of Head Cheese.
Cam
Curious, Has GOProud come out and recinded their comments on liberals since this attack was fake?
Little-Kiwi
yeah, we called it. and by WE i mean those of us gay males who have spines, brains, and can smell the rot of a gay republican liar fro miles away.
Little-Kiwi
and whaddya wanna bet LaSalvia and GOProud will IGNORE this from now and NOT release a statement?
the cowards.
Spike
Leave it to a gay GOPer to claim they are the victim of a hate crime. All you have to do is look at Romney and the Mormon church to understand that the entire LGBT community will be the first victim of hate crimes if the republicans are successful in buying back the White House.
Guillermo3
@Little-Kiwi: GO,Little Kiwi!!!!!!!!!
Guillermo3
@Spike: Yes,Spike!The galling thing
for me is that so many people I care about support the Moron.
He’ll put the nation back to work:Just ignore the signs reading
Arbeit Macht Frei.
ChiChi Man
This kind of garbage is exactly what the right wing loves – instead of LGBT folks mobilizing to fight for our rights, we’re wasting our precious resources fighting each other. I’m not saying that we can ignore stories like this, but it still pisses me off!
ChiChi Man
@Guillermo3: You’re SO right. Hitler promised an economic boom for Germany and he delivered…
erikwm
Just further evidence that gay conservatives live in a fantasy world detached from reality — where those who seek to help them are the enemy and those who wish them harm are friends.
MK Ultra
How do you know a gay GOPer is lying? His lips are moving.
This isn’t my opimion. It’s a fact that they have proven over and over again. They have no dignity. They have no respect for themselves or anynody elsr. They reason they keep faking these attacks and blaming it on gay liberals is because they know we look down upon them because of their lowliness. they are like homophobes in that respect.
Little-Kiwi
here’s the thing – there have indeed been “fabricated” gay hate-crime stories.
what were they? false attacks on gay people, with homophobia being given as the cause.
they were false, and thats wrong. BUT..(yes, but, give me a moment…) they served a greater purpose: to draw attention to anti-gay bigotry.
they’re not acceptable, because they demean those ACTUAL real attacks on our community. but as misguided as they were, and they WERE WRONG, their “point” was htat anti-gay prejudice is alive and well.
this fake story? yet another wimp with no balls who makes up….. a story about hateful gay liberals attacking him for being a republican?
p a t h e t i c
Guillermo3
@Little-Kiwi: Yep,Little Kiwi,buddy,
PATHETIC,and the sad thing is that many of us have been there at
least once.Few,I hope as [yuck!,GAG!!] Republicans,I hope
heydeenie
Wow. These comments are a sad commentary. False reporting of this kind of crime is reprehensible, but I would NEVER say that someone does that because they are gay, or straight, or democrat or republican. These people are sick. There’s no two ways to look at it. This from a straight republican. The people I know don’t base their opinions on race, or sexual or political orientation. Show me by your ignorance or jackwagoness that you are an ass-tard and I’ll be happy to label you as such.
Guillermo3
@heydeenie: heydeenie,There’s no need
to show cards as you’ve done such a great job of identifying yourself
“as such”It does the question of why a straight republican[sic]is
following comments posted on Queerty,but what the hay?:maybe you’ll
enjoy your legitimate rape.
Little-Kiwi
actually, deenie, this is what GOProud members do – they fabricate stories that they share with conservative bloggers and news outlets, screaming that they’re the victims of “liberal hate” or “blacks” and then file reports and then get busted for…well… having made them all up.
Jimmy LaSalvia invented a story about being attacked by “black youths”
and that ugly-as-hell gay republican from A-List Dallas invented a FEW stories about “being attacked by liberals”
Why do they do this? Because their own families hate them and they need to appear as victims of Evil Liberals to buy one more day of pithy tolerance.
it’s pathetic.
jkb
Now, I want to punch him the face.
GreenmanTN
@heydeenie: In a way I agree with you.
A false report of this type, especially when it entails self-injury to manufacture “evidence” of the crime, does indeed require a certain level of mental illness. It’s sad. It really is.
And it’s not only gay conservatives who do it. It’s a mentally ill, un-constructive, way to seek attention. The people who do it are hurting and I do have some sympathy for that.
But I would put it to you that someone who supports a politician who DOES NOT respect them, does not even believe in their rights, in their basic humanity and equality, ALSO has “issues.” It was said about Mussolini that sure, he murdered and oppressed people, but at least he made the trains run on time. In the 1960s South, believing that equality for black people was of paramount concern, would you have voted for Gov George Wallace because you liked his property tax policies?
At this exact moment in time the Republican party treats gay people as subhuman, sinners unworthy of rights or respect. That much is undebatable. There are exceptions but Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan aren’t among them.
If you vote for Mitt Romney, then you ALSO approve of his homophobic policies. You enable them, are complicit in it.
I am truly baffled by any gay man who support a political candidate who denies their own worth and value, but maybe that’s just me.
Guillermo3
@Little-Kiwi: Yes,Little Kiwi[I keep thinking of you as a diminutive New Zeelander], It’s rather like the FRC screaming that their
religious liberties are threatened by the evil gays & political correctness.
Mark
That guy’s just angry that he can’t get any. 🙂
Rockindad
Is EVERY Republican completely insane? Or, is it that closet behavior and the GOP just go so damn well together.
kw
It’s worth remembering the deeper issue that there wouldn’t be such fertile ground for stories such as this if there was not so much actual prejudice. I don’t know if this guy was a drama whore, he geuinely wanted to raise awareness, was out to get revenge, or what, but clearly he has harmed the credibility of a genuine issue.
Dumdum
@GreenmanTN: I simply adore your comment about Mussolini. Well played Greenman; you are this day, my god. Celtic deity, Viridios, has a name meaning “Green Man” in both the Celtic languages and Latin. I apologize, but some of you folks need to brush up on basic grammar and syntax. I realize that the U.S. is one of the lower ranking countries in educational standards. But the numbers are appalling, as homosexuals we are bound by a code to set an example to others. The most comprehensive study of literacy ever commissioned by the U.S. government, was released in April 2002 and reapplied in 2003 giving trend data. It involved lengthy interviews of over 90,700 adults statistically balanced for age, gender, ethnicity, education level, and location (urban, suburban, or rural) in 12 states across the U.S. and was designed to represent the U.S. population as a whole. This government study showed that 21% to 23% of adult Americans were not “able to locate information in text”, could not “make low-level inferences using printed materials”, and were unable to “integrate easily identifiable pieces of information.” Further, this study showed that 41% to 44% of U.S. adults in the lowest level on the literacy scale (literacy rate of 35 or below) were living in poverty.
Dumdum
Of course my information is out dated but it was the last thing I read on illiteracy several years ago. Judging by the comments sections that I have been reading as of late. It would seem that I am not far off the mark.
Guillermo3
@Dumdum:Dumdum(Re:comments 31,32),
I agree with you,but watch out,or you’ll be attacked verbally
and called a snob,as I did after making similar remarks a few days ago.
Dumdum
@Guillermo3: Don’t make me no never mind no-how.
Guillermo3
@Dumdum: God,Dumdum!!:You sound
like you live in Oklahoma.
KARUADAM
THE MOTHERFUCKER LUCKY I DIDN`T FUCKED HIM UP!!. Kyle Wood, PEOPLE LIKE GIVE THE FUCKING CHRISTIAN, BAD NAME!!
kw
@KARUADAM: Lol – what apart from all the child rape, bigotry, hypocricy, dishonesty and murder?
Guillermo3
English as a foreign language?