Prominent Southern Methodist University student John Mahaffey admitted he forced a male student to perform oral sex on him.
A member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and direct descendent of one of SMU’s founders, Mahaffey concedes he knew the victim didn’t want to engage in sex but was made to say it was consensual “or lawyers, parents, and the school will be involved,” according to a conversation recorded by police.
Mahaffey attacked the unnamed student twice, once in a parking garage and again near the Sigma Phi Epsilon house.
This week, Inside Higher Ed reported on the case as part of a larger feature on same-sex assault on college campuses. But it’s clear the Methodist college has some serious issues regarding homosexuality: In 2011, junior Charlie McCaslin stepped down as chairman of the Texas College Republicans because a video surfaced of him making grossly homophobic and sexist comments.
This year, the school actually dropped off The Princeton Review’s list of most homophobic campuses for the first time in recent memory (In 2011, it was ranked No. 12.)
Mahaffey’s fall from grace is all the more surprising because of his standing on campus: A scholarship committee chair, he’s also a Hunt scholar, a student senator and an officer on SMU’s inter-fraternity council.
“This alleged behavior is not tolerated and not consistent with the fraternity’s mission,” SPE president Luke Friedman said in a statement. “This is a disturbing situation and the chapter’s thoughts and concerns go out to everyone affected.”
After his arrest in September, Mahaffey was released on $25,000 bond.
Tracy
“Forcing…to have sex”? I believe there’s a term for it….
Lord
I went to SMU in the early 90’s and I started a gay fraternity there and I was all over the local news because of it. It was a huge deal and I got a lot of backlash about it publicly and privately. I went to the Sig Ep house my Freshman year actually and they were all stereotypical frat boys (drinking and lots of machismo). They were some of the wealthiest on campus too.
It doesn’t surprise me at all that SMU officials tried to cover it up.
SMU is a very conservative school (and I never have been very conservative) and in an environment full of those types of people, hatred and bigotry fester and these types of incidences are bound to occur. Sad, but not surprising.
Ragmatical
It’s amazing how this pussy footed around saying “rape”. I don’t exactly see how it being a ‘homophobic campus’ has anything to do with though.
alterego1980
It’s clear that he’s gay but it is also clear that he thought, or even was brought up to believe that being gay was wrong. He also had a pedigree to “protect”. I’m guessing the message was clear; “don’t embarrass your family” and that included being gay. All that tends to express itself in more destructive ways.
hf2hvit
Well, as his fellow republicans would love: WATERBOARD HIM IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!
CLOSET CASE
Stache1
@alterego1980:
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. It’s a very unhealthy mentality to suppress what you are just to be accepted. This manifests itself into something like this or some uncontrolled violence against anyone else perceived to be gay.
FireFromHeaven
Let’s cut the crap and call it what it is- rape. Trying to find the homophobic angle in this story is absurd. One man raped another man. Whether or not Mahaffey is a homosexual is incidental to this story and is projection. Trying this man as a rapist and convicting him as a rapist accomplishes more than trying him as a homophobic bigot. Even if his personal convictions about homosexuality created an extremely uncomfortable environment for him, he still raped another human being. One’s struggle to reconcile their beliefs with their desires doesn’t make a person dangerous, it just makes them conflicted. Forget hypothesizing about his inner struggle and focus more on the criminality and the banality of his crimes.
erics
@FireFromHeaven: Yes. All of it. Thank you.
We should talk about how homophobic stigma prevents same-sex rape survivors from telling their stories. Using that stigma to excuse or diminish same-sex rape contradicts that.
smithster11
I may be incredibly dense, but how exactly does one force someone else to perform oral sex? I can imagine the scenario:
“Hey, give me a blowjob”
“No”
“I demand it”
“No”
“Ok”
Female or male penetration I get. But unless he opened the guys mouth with retractors, how does this exactly work?
FStratford
@smithster11:
here’s how:
1) gun to your head
2) blackmail
3) roofie/alcohol/drugs
4) any threat of bodily harm or reputation
Rape is not about sex. It’s about violence.
FStratford
From his profile on SMU’s Hunts Scholars, he was president of… wait for it…
Fellowship of Christian Athletes! The same FCA that testifies that their FCA coaches and athletes can deliver jocks from homosexuality.
One more proof that “Pray The Gay Away” is harmful to kids.
FStratford
link to profile
http://smu.edu/hunt/Sophomore/mahaffey.asp
Dumdum
What an idiot. I am sure he could have found a willing participant. I rather suspect he did.@FireFromHeaven: FYI you cannot rape the willing.
1EqualityUSA
Referencing slow intellect, my siblings and I would call each other, “Epsilon.” Aldous Huxley’s, “Brave New World” had a worker race in which alcohol was introduced into the vat of clones, thereby rendering them functional enough to do menial tasks. I think it’s very fun that this Frat house is named, “Epsilon.” With skills such as this, Mahaffey may one day be a Republican Senator, leading the fight against equality.
viveutvivas
Roleplay I could believe, but forcing someone to perform oral sex? I don’t get it. It kind of requires the one giving head to be willing. Unless a weapon was involved (which sounds unlikely here), you can’t really rape a hole with teeth.
Little-Kiwi
typical rich white gay republican coward.
of course he had to force it. no self-respecting gay man would ever engage in sexual activity with this sack of s**t.
i now realize, however, why the GOP opposes abortions even in cases of rape and incest – without rape and incest republican males dont’ get laid and can’t procreate.
mangina
I’m shocked and appalled by the ignorant comments regarding rape. Rape is rape no matter what gender is involved. Determining consent is difficult to prove since the victim can be coersed and manipulated into performing a sex act that they don’t want to do. Rape does not have to be brutal, violent, or require a weapon to be used to make the victim do something against their will but it is rape nonetheless.
@viveutvivas
Your comment, “You can’t rape a hole with teeth.” I’d like you to defend that statement when a pedophile uses that excuse to defend his or her actions that they committed on a child.
Little-Kiwi
this is not a surprise. another rich entitled GOP-suckup closeted ‘mo commits a crime.
this isn’t a liberal problem. we gay liberals actually get laid by going on DATES you know 🙂
Cam
So he is so twisted and self hating and terrified of being labeled “Gay” that now, because of that he is labeled “Rapist”.
the other Greg
@viveutvivas: “Unless a weapon was involved (which sounds unlikely here), you can’t really rape a hole with teeth.”
Well I realize this happened at a college, but it’s still Texas, so maybe the victim is a former meth addict with no teeth!
1EqualityUSA
In Scott Turow’s, “Presumed Innocent” the prisoners knocked out the teeth…oh, never mind, I don’t want to give the lad anymore ideas, he may then run for Governor of Texas
peter
I’d be chary to embrace this action as ‘gay’. It’s garden-variety sadism, which is indiscriminate of sexual orientation. It takes the Active/Pledge dynamic up a notch to the Classical Homosexual paradigm of an Alpha Male imposing his will on an underling: he’s doing it because he can.
I think I pledged the wrong frat: the most degrading thing I had to do was go to a drug store and ask for small condoms!
Dumdum
@the other Greg: Oh my Goddess that was funny!!!@1EqualityUSA: Absolutely priceless!!! Guess this doesn’t say much for my character, but I would hit it. Hey, he might have a nice wiener. Or maybe it is really small or worse, deformed. Then he would HAVE to force a regular person. I have such a lurid mind.
Dumdum
@peter: That is so sad. As a person who had to work two jobs and eat in soup kitchens so I would not starve to get my now worthless B.S. in Anthropology. I feel for ya buddy. (Sarcasm) Unless there was any doubt. Sorry, but spoiled frat boys make me want to lose my lunch. Has your trust fund run out so you are forced to slum with the best of us???
smithster11
@FStratford Aha, so there was a weapon involved? I actually didn’t get that from the article as written. I’m absolutely sure that your righteousness is warranted, I’m just wondering what it’s source is.
smithster11
Boy, this fratboy looks very violent and dangerous. I’m so glad he didn’t force me to give him a blowjob, because I have no idea how I’d be able to resist….
Dumdum
@smithster11: You need to state sarcasm or they don’t get it.Illiteracy rates in the US is at about 40 percent.
mpwaite
OH PLEASE!! HOMOSEXUALITY AND FRAT BOYS ON THE “DOWN LOW” are in EVERY Fraternity.. Hell, most of the fraternity hazing that takes place is focused around homosexual acts. I can’t tell you how many of my brothers in my fraternity were closeted homosexuals or bisexual; I used to fool around with my big brother who was also Chapter VP… We had AMAZING SEX then we would BOTH double date with our girl friends… LOL! We always used the excuse that we were “drunk and just taking care of our needs” LOL!!! I came out a few years after college and saw two brothers out in New York who were OUT and a couple.. We are good friends!! As for my fraternity big brother I fooled around with for a year, he is married with kids and a wife.. His choice.. but I AWLAYS wonder………
mpwaite
@Lord: yeah and there are A LOT of skeletons in the Mahaffey family closet!!! As there are in MOST legacy families; he probably had so much pressure on him because of his legacy standing. I’m not condoning what he did at all; however, there is a lot more to this story than we know, I’m sure.
Ferallove
@Tracy: Thank You.
Dumdum
@mpwaite: Who gives a rats ass? You spoiled frat brats should be drawn and quartered by big mean lesbian women then fed to hungry dogs. A bunch of butt licking turds. The Santorum Fairies bragging about their lives in references to their privileged college daze. Piss off you bloody wankers.
jkb
@FStratford: He said being a Hunt scholar gives him the opportunity to be involved in Greek life…and there you have it.
Bascha
How is his standing on campus surprising? Those types of wealthy frat boys are usually the biggest douches both on campus and in the real world once they get out of school.
1EqualityUSA
I wonder if his column is adorned with Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian motif?
Spike
Why is it that you never hear of chicks being forced to give a guy a blow job? Teeth. Any guy that attempts to force me to suck his dick, is placing himself in a very vulnerable position as it involves his dick/balls and my teeth.
With that said, gotta love he being a frat boy at SMU, fucked up. I’m sure his family is proud!
GayBacon
I’m sooo confused. He’s openly anti-gay but likes guys giving him head? even rapes them to get some? The F*ck? I hope not all of these ding bats are that dangerous.
nevereclipsed81
Well can’t say he would have to force me.. But I don’t want to defend someone on a rape-ish charge if I don’t know all the details. The one I do see is that he’s hot as f–k and it was oral sex? That’s kind of odd for a rapist.
amedas
He is apprehended for his anti-social behavior, so that’s fair. I’d like to go a bit further by challenging all those private institutions to just state that they simply won’t admit whatever traits (they choose) and then see if there are enough paying students to sustain them.
FStratford
@nevereclipsed81:
It’s not odd. A lot of these types delude themselves that they’re not gay as long as its not anal. Or as long as they don’t bottom. Or…
You get it?
Greg
@smithster11: he may have been able to get the to put his in his mouth, but how did he force him to suck it and lick it?
Greg
Mahaffey must have really been hot for the victim. If he wanted it sucked, he probably could have found somebody to do it. Why did he want the victim to suck it so badly that he tried to get him to do it twice? What does that mean, “he attacked the unnamed victim”? How did he attack him?
jcrussous
How sad that he couldn’t just “come out” already…in the end, he probably just ruined his future…sigh
SAboi
lol. on this webpage you’ve he actually states in his own words “Being a Hunt Leadership Scholar has allowed me to dive HEAD FIRST into my college career….” AHAHAHAHA!!
IzzyLuna
Am I the only one who thinks that this guy making me give him head is hot?
ilcorago
I’m a little unclear on the “forced” thing, too. Did he physically threaten him? Did he threaten to blackmail him? How did he “attack” the other student in a parking garage? There’s a lot left out of this story and a lot of bad reporting here.
Aaron
“Mahaffey concedes he knew the victim didn’t want to engage in sex but was made to say it was consensual “or lawyers, parents, and the school will be involved,” according to a conversation recorded by police.”
The rapist admits that his victim didn’t want to have sex. He also admits to blackmailing the victim to say it was consensual. Consider yourselves lucky that you have never been put in a situation where you were coerced into something you didn’t want to do – since you are so quick to judge that without violence or a weapon there is no rape. I suppose female rape victims can’t get pregnant either, unless they really deep down wanted it.
i43neile
@FireFromHeaven: i have to agree on this one. I find it annoying that most people, even gays cry “hate crime” or trying to establish first that a person committed the crime because of the orientation of the victim. it takes a long time.
Past the motive, why not murder as murder, rape as rape, mauling as mauling? they’re guilty and gender orientation of the suspect or victim shouldn’t muddle the issue anymore.
from the article above, it was rape.
azpunky
@Tracy: A word we’ve been hearing a lot in the news in the last year, for some reason. Are people going crazy?
Raquel Santiago
My organization DSA is allied with most fraternities and sororities on our campus at SFSU and have FIRM guidelines in place for all of them who agree to no hazing rituals, but this still happens and when it does we drop them after a full investigation. This affects so many lives and is outright stupid. This morning I had to send a reminder to all of them about this policy if they want to remain allied with us, and I think is one of the hardest parts of my job (besides infighting among officers).
Raquel Santiago
@Greg: @ilcorago: In these reports we honestly do not see everything that is done and the police and campus keep most of that quiet. This does happen way to many times even with laws in place and security protections.
Ken
My understanding is that if it were up to the clergy and the leadership of the United Methodist Church, they would have gay-inclusive policies. The problem is that the Methodist movement began as a way of helping people who were dispossessed by the Industrial Revolution, and their constituency still has a lot of people in rural areas who are not well educated. Episcopalians, ELCA Lutherans, and the Presbyterian USA church, on the other hand, have constituencies with better demographics. Aside from the Catholic Church, the problem isn’t the leadership, The problem is in the demographics of the constituency. I say “constituency” because while UMC church membership is declining, UMC church attendance is increasing. Church membership is declining, not because people no longer see the need for religion, but because people no longer see the need for joining.
seansinc
According to the local Dallas news, Mahaffey used intimidation: (maybe the victim was physically smaller / weaker?)
[The victim] told Mahaffey “no” and “stop” several times, but felt intimidated and was afraid Mahaffey would get violent. He said Mahaffey told him “you better not tell a soul,” the affidavit said.
The next day, the student met with SMU police and agreed to record a phone call with Mahaffey. During the phone call, he told Mahaffey “you know I did not want to do that?” According to the affidavit, Mahaffey replied, “I know you didn’t, but we have to say it was consensual or lawyers, parents, and the school will be involved.”
From http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2012/09/smu-police-say-they-have-phone-recording-of-sexual-assault-suspect.html/
Gigi Gee
Rich boy wins once again. Charged were dropped.
http://parkcitiesblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/dallas-county-prosecutors-drop-sexual-assault-charges-against-former-smu-student-john-david-mahaffey.html/
DOFEK
NO less then 20 years in prison!. The fucking Christian should know all about being rapist in prison. I cannot wait to see what he will get for it? if anything. AdamHomo
JoeWatchesTV
Might not be legal or ethical but it’s totally in line with the kind of crap that these rich kids learn in prep school. My ex used to tell me horror stories.
Teleny
@FStratford:
That’s exactly it… Being a transwoman the “I’m not gay” justifications are comprehensive and bizarre.
Teleny
@FStratford:
That’s exactly it… Being a transwoman the “I’m not gay” justifications ive heard are comprehensive and bizarre.
stanhope
I’ll bet guy there doesn’t think that getting a blow job from a man makes him gay. While this may not be politically correct [and I don’t give a flying f*ck if it isn’t] I hope guy goes to prison where HE gets to give a few blow jobs to Bubba and gets his cornhole passed around. It’ll make him a new man. Prison bitch makes a nice addition to scion.
JohnMc888
Send him to Michelle Bachman’s husband. He’ll cure him, using boredom and Scripture incantations and possibly invoking the help of the devil. And if not they’ll make great lovers. Oh wait, could prison get in the way? Surely not for a rich boy.
enlightenone
@Stache1: The “closet” isn’t a healthy place no matter the reason. In REAL dangerous or life-threatening situations, discretion (awareness and preparation) is best!
enlightenone
@Cam: Ironic, huh!
MilesVorkosigan
There certainly is a deep dark Freudian explanation…
Raquel Santiago
Naturally i am not going to call anybody out, but i can tell you that on the campus I go to there are a lot of frat boys doing it on the DL, and yes they have supposed girlfriends etc. No need to assault when so many are doing it on the DL consentually.
IRISHGUY171
It’s called RAPE. Just print it.
Mahaffey will soon get all the man on man action he wants and for a very long time. AS you sow so shall you reap…or be raped?
Amalgamate
unless its prison, a man cannot be forced to have sex
Black Swan
I believe this entire story was made up just to infuriate me. I don’t believe a single word of what you just printed. I’m confused. Are you trying to imply that homophobia breed a more congenial environment to homosexual encounters? What was the motive here? To embarrass the assailant, because they both were heterosexuals? A simple instance of bullying gone too far? Was this some silly frat initiation like in all those “HazeHim” porn clips on the internet? Or was it because the perpetrator was sexually indeed attracted to this other young man? Really bizarre reporting here. I still don’t feel like I got the full story. Now I’m just erotically charged by the sight of this handsome, young, straight white boy who just really likes to get his dick sucked. I can’t call this rape at all. I want an aggressive, handsome, college-educated whiteboy just like this one. There’s a very serious part of me that wants to say, “Just sick his dick, and shut the fuck up about it!”
Brian D Lupton
Wow some really ignorant people on this site. If you’re a gay or straight male and think that you can’t force someone to suck your dick… congratulations… you’re A RAPIST. So happy to know that Rush Limbaugh & his ‘str8’ friends aren’t the only ones who think NO means YES. Of course people will post all kinds of shit when they don’t use their real names.
Marc
@the other Greg: “but it’s still Texas, so maybe the victim is a former meth addict with no teeth”. You do not even realize how ignorant that kind of thinking makes you appear.
Evji108
@FStratford: People who flatly state that a forced sex act is not about sex, rather just about violence or control are surely being either willfully stupid or disingenuous. A sex act is still a sex act, even if it is forced, saying it is not a sex act because it is violent is ridiculous.
wrgwn
@Black Swan: as a current SMU student, I can confirm this story is in fact true. It’s a well known story around campus actually.
wrgwn
I just want to clear up that no student at SMU believes this is ok. The fraternity Sig Ep is currently suspended from campus for an entirely different reason but it is definitely never going to be what it might have once been. I do not know a single person here who would call it rape and honestly the biggest reason it was a big deal was because when SMU Aware sent out the email to warn students about sexual assault and to try to get more information on the incident, they said it was a male on male encounter which meant the assailant knew that his victim had reported it.
wrgwn
@wrgwn: *** I do not know a single person here who would NOT call it rape.
baggins435
@smithster11: Have you never heard of coercion or threats? A gun to the head isn’t necessary if you have other leverage. Men have been doing the same thing to women throughout history.
There was a case in Louisiana 15 years ago or so where a man working off-shore on an oil rig tried to sue for sexual harassment and assault. The judge said it was impossible for a man to be sexually harassed or assaulted and threw out the case. He further stated that the law’s language was specific that sexual harassment was a man, or men, harassing a woman, or women.