19-year-old Cross Coburn was elected to the City Council in Groves, Texas earlier this year. Shortly after taking office, an anonymous troll sent photos stolen from his Grindr account to several local media outlets and government officials along with a note that read:
Is this in any way proper behavior of a councilman to represent himself online or a ‘dating’ app? I felt the city council should be made aware of the situation.
“That is my personal life and no one should know about it,” a shaken Coburn, who was out only to his close friends and family before the story broke, said shortly after the story broke.
Well, now that some time has passed and the initial shock has worn off, he’s ready to talk more about the incident, which he now believes was a homophobic smear campaign.
“I’ve come up with the conclusion that this is about my sexuality,” Coburn tells Out Smart Magazine in a new interview. “That is the only reason that somebody would want to do this to me, because I am gay and they don’t want me on City Council.”
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Related: Someone sent this city councilman’s private Grindr pics to City Hall
Many people from the LGBTQ community agree. Ruben Gonzalez, vice president of leadership initiatives for the LGBTQ Victory Fund, thinks there’s a double standard at play.
“If Cross was a single straight man, his photos wouldn’t have been sent to City Hall, and there would have never been a controversy,” he says. “He had the right, like any other young person, to build his social network and friend group through online applications.”
Coburn says some of his colleagues in City government have tried using the incident to hurt him politically, including the mayor.
Despite the fact that Coburn did nothing illegal and is, in fact, a victim of revenge porn, mayor Brad Bailey described the leaked photos as “unbecoming of an elected official” and reminded constituents that a recall election for Coburn could take place after he has served six months in his position.
Related: City council candidate vows to run “transparent” campaign, shares his x-rated photos and videos
But Coburn refuses to let the bastards get him down.
“This is not going to put an end to my career,” he says. “Despite all of this, I love being on City Council. I love my city, and I want to continue being a part of the process that builds it up and helps it flourish.”
He has since enlisted the help of attorney Jill Pierce to handle the matter. Pierce claims whoever sent the photos violated Texas Penal Code Chapter 21.16, which makes the unlawful distribution of intimate visual materials a Class A misdemeanor.
“I have reached out to Grindr to figure out who did this,” Pierce says. “However, anybody can create profiles online. It might not be possible to find out who it was.”
Related: Candidate shared x-rated photos in the spirit of ‘transparency’; now 200 MORE have surfaced
h/t: Out Smart Magazine
Bryguyf69
Wow, that’s a lot of presure — not to mention legal fees — for a 19 y/o to bear. I wish him the best but it’s going to be a uphill battle. He not only has the disadvantage of youth and inexperience, but Groves, TX is not exactly a bastion of gay rights. And he has the mayor against him. Plus, this isn’t just a matter of being outed as gay, but as a gay man with sexual history. As we all know from the history of TV, neutered asexual gays are more acceptable than real gays wit real desires.
rray63
These people that do this kind of thing are only vaguely human. Why was this mans personal life exposed? He wasn’t hurting anyone. I’m gay and have a grindr account. I’m older give less than two hoots about who sees it. This was done to hurt someone because they are gay, no other reason. If there is a way I’d go after the person that sent this in for committing a hate crime.
chris33133
“If Cross was a single straight man, his photos wouldn’t have been sent to City Hall, and there would have never been a controversy,” Really? Tell that to Anthony Weiner and to other politicians whose sexually charged photos and/or texts have made it onto the front pages of their local newspapers? ….. I personally think that someone’s sexual escapades are irrelevant to judging their on-the-job performance unless they are porn stars and/or sex workers. Unfortunately, this country is way more puritanical than that. ….. My props to this councilman. I hope he can convince his constituents that he should be voted for based on how well he works for them and not based on his private life.
gayjim1969
Anthony Weiner’s problem was sexting underage girls; therefore, if he had been unmarried–and wasn’t a pervert with a penchant for jailbait–who knows if anyone would have cared. I can’t think of many politicians whose sex lives/online activities have become an issue who weren’t married, cheating, or engaging in illegal activities–except single gay men.
ChrisK
gayjim1969 Yeah you’re right. I can’t think of any equivalent examples that would counter your point. Certainly not just a shirtless photo. That’s a big whoop the straight community.