Who is Don Gorton? He is the author of the "anti-bullying curriculum" about to be distributed to all public middle schools in Massachusetts. We smelled a rat last week as we saw long articles in both GLBT newspapers, Bay Windows and InNewsWeekly on this arcane subject and Mr. Gorton's complaints about the wheels of state turning too slowly on his project.
The Bay Windows article referred to "activists" working to push his anti-bullying curriculum (and that's all you need to know about this curriculum!). Turns out Gorton is a homosexual activist par excellence. Google him and you'll see he goes back quite a few years in the Massachusetts activist community.
Mr. Gorton, an attorney and co-chairman of the Governor's Task Force On Hate Crimes, authored an article on "The origins of anti-sodomy laws" (Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, 1998). His reviews on Amazon.com are revealing. Here's on of his favorite books, as described on its author's web site:
Mark Roeder manages again to capture the thoughts and dreams of a young gay man. But this time, he goes even further. He deals with ways in which older gay men can be mentors and role models. Plus he captures the essence of ignorance behind the anti-gay agenda of some misguided Christians.... This book as well as the first two would make excellent materials in a high school course designed to treat the subject of gay and lesbian youth in a positive manner. It is a shame that so few schools are ready to offer such a course. [That surely will change once the "anti-bullying curriculum" is in place.]
As a middle-aged man, he apparently is captivated by stories about teen boys coming out ... and politics. And it looks like he has an axe to grind against the Romney administration, as he was recently let go as a commissioner on the Appellate Tax Board:
"Romney's move to ax gay tax judge questioned; Romney fires another gay," Bay Windows, 7/19/06. Gorton, a Harvard Law School graduate who served as tax counsel at the state’s Department of Revenue from 1991 to 1997. Gorton said he was not given a reason for his termination. The Romney administration didn’t give a reason, Gorton added, because “they don’t really have a good reason.”...[He's received] honors from groups like the Gay Officers Action League of New England....Gorton also points out that the national political strategy among right-wing Republicans is the vilification of “activist judges,” and that Romney has been courting religious conservatives as he prepares for a likely 2008 presidential bid. “I am a gay activist and a judge,” said Gorton. “... he could basically say that he is tough on activist judges and he has taken action to remove them in Massachusetts. So it gives him a feather in his cap when he’s courting homophobes.”
"Don Gorton, others, allege Mass. gov's moves are suspect, based on timing, history, homophobia and qualifications of expected replacement", InNewsWeekly, 7/19/06.
During the debacle of the Big Dig falling from the sky and last Wednesday's contentious con-con, Governor Romney had time to move to displace a well-qualified commissioner at the Appellate Tax Board (ATB). The commissioner, Don Gorton, is a gay man who believes he is being removed because of Romney's presidential desires and general homophobia. If Romney has his way, Gorton will be replaced by Tom Mulhern, a real estate appraiser with limited expertise in state tax cases. The Governor's Council will most likely hear the case for the new appointee on Wednesday, July 26, and vote the following week. Out of the eight Governor's councilmen, five would need to affirm the new appointee to make it legit. In matters of a tie, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey would cast the breaking vote. ... There are currently 50 pending cases before judge Gorton. If he were to be replaced, all of those cases would have to be retried, wasting a ton of taxpayer money [We gather he's a fiscal conservative?] and revealing the litigious strategy to the adversary.... Gorton served as the chair of the Greater Boston Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance between 1988 and 1994 and as the co-chair for the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes from 1991 to the present. He has written several papers for GLBT publications; his most recent entitled, "Gay Rights in the Clash of Civilizations" for the January 2002 issue of the "Gay and Lesbian Review."
Back to Gorton's writings. You can see his reviews on Amazon.com of a book on the Stonewall riots, American politics, and a novel, "Someone Is Killing the Gay Boys of Verona". He recently added "Gay Crusaders" to his Amazon wish list, and he's published a review of another "coming of age" story in The Gay & Lesbian Review.
From his review of "Someone is killing the Boys of Verona":
Enchanting Tale of the Gay and Supernatural (Sept.19, 2005) ... romantic fiction focused on gay youth coming of age. This book, one of the Gay Youth Chronicles, concocts a fast-paced action thriller out of a frothy brew of supernatural elements, imaginative and engaging characters, and a core message of gay pride and affirmation. ... presenting an appealing gay teen protagonist who struggles with the forces of homophobia, clearly presented as evil.... [set in] a 100-room 19th century mansion filled with secret passageways... Roeder's books are oriented, though not exclusively, to gay youth growing up away from the big urban gay concentrations, frequently in relative isolation. The stories offer a sense of hope, optimism, and inner strength to youth awakening to issues of sexual orientation. Roeder invariably conveys the need for and liberating effect of coming out....
