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British
Member Of Parliament
Caught In
Gay Sex Scandal
by Peter
Moore, 365Gay.com
From the
Web, January 23, 2006
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London -- Mark Oaten, a top
member of Britain's Liberal Democrats, resigned his position in the party after
it became public on the weekend that he had been having an extramarital
relationship with a male prostitute.
The Liberal Democrats are Britain's third largest party. Oaten rose to
prominence in the party following the July terrorist bombings in London.
He had been the party's critic on home affairs.
But it was Oaten's out of the home affair that landed him in the spotlight when
the News of the World published an expose on the affair including an interview
with the 23-year old hustler who told the tabloid that Oaten had been a regular
client for six months.
Oaten announced he was stepping down as critic within hours of the paper going
to press.
"I would like to apologize for errors of judgment in my personal behavior and
for the embarrassment caused firstly to my family but also to my friends, my
constituents and my party," said the father of two.
He did not say if he would seek re-election.
British LGBT civil rights group OutRage said that Oaten is not the only gay in
the Liberal Democrats.
Apart from the tiny Greens Party, the Liberal Democrats are considered Britain's
most pro-gay political party, but they have only one out gay MP -- Stephen
Williams (Bristol West) -- a little known backbencher.
"Mark Oaten is not the only Liberal Democrat MP who has had sex with men," said
OutRage spokesperson Peter Tatchell. "We are disappointed that so few Lib
Dem MPs have chosen to come out."
Tatchell said OutRage will not be outing any of the gay Liberal Democrat Members
of Parliament because "none of them are hypocritical or homophobic."
"If the nation's political leaders feel they need to lead double lives to hide
their sexuality, then parliament is clearly not doing enough to combat the
social homophobia that keeps so many gay men and lesbians in the closet," said
Tatchell.
The News of the World story came just two days after he pulled out of the race
for the party leadership.
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