Anti-Gay Indiana State Rep. Allegedly Hired Boy for ’A Really Good Time’
An anti-gay GOP state lawmaker in Indiana stands accused of having hired an 18-year-old boy off Craigslist, offering to pay $80 plus a big tip "for a really good time," and then plying the young man with gifts to buy his silence about the rendezvous, an Aug. 12 Indianapolis Star article reported.
The lawmaker, State Rep. Phillip Hinkle, 64, reportedly answered an ad placed on Craigslist by the young man, who had posted an ad looking for "a sugga daddy." In the ad, the 18-year-old claimed to be 20.
Hinkle, who is married, has been a state lawmaker for 11 years. He is now in his 6th term of office. During his tenure, he has supported an amendment to the state’s constitution to deny marriage rights to all but heterosexual couples.
The story relates that an email exchange between the young man and Hinkle’s email address set up a time for the two to meet at a local hotel on Aug. 6, with the messages from the State Rep’s account offering cash for "a couple of hours of your time tonight." The sum mentioned was $80, with the promise of a further $50 or so as a gratuity "for a really good time," the Star article reported.
Politico reported in an Aug, 12 article that Kameryn Gibson had placed his ad in the men’s personals on Craigslist, including a shirtless photo of himself, a little after 7:30 on the morning of Aug. 6. Within an hour, he received a response.
"Cannot be a long time sugar daddy, but can for tonight," the message read. "Would you be interested in keeping me company for a while tonight?" The response went on to advertise the sender’s personal characteristics, saying, "I am an in shape married professional, 5’8", fit 170 lbs, and love getting and staying naked."
A series of email exchanges followed, with monetary terms being discussed, but no sexual acts referenced. Some of the messages from the respondent to Gibson’s ad said they had been "Sent from Phil’s iPad," while others seemed to originate from Hinkle’s Comcast email account.
That afternoon, Gibson received a message offering to meet him at his home and then drive him to a local hotel. Another message also asked about the possibility of an overnight encounter.
"If u want to consider spending night u might tell ur sis so she won’t worry. Would have u back before 11 tomorrow," the email said. "No extra cash just free breakfast and maybe late night snack."
Finally, at quarter to nine that evening, a message arrived reading, "I am here in parking lot between bldg 1 and 2. U here?"
The two drove to the hotel, where Hinkle allegedly told Gibson to go in first. A quarter of an hour later, Hinkle allegedly entered the room, then took off his clothing and wrapped a towel around himself. That, the young man says, was when Hinkle revealed himself to be a state official.
At that point, the young man says, he attempted to leave.
"Yeah, I don’t want to do this," Gibson recounted telling the older man.
"You need to do this, because I came and got you, and I’m not taking you back until we do what we need to do," the older man responded, according to the 18-year-old.
The young man says that he then retreated to the bathroom and used his cell phone to call his sister, Megan, who agreed to come to the hotel to get him. Hinkle repeated that the young man would not be allowed to leave, the article said, but when Gibson turned on the phone’s speaker and Megan began to dress the older man down and threatened to call the authorities, his demeanor changed completely. The older man "said, ’I’ll give you whatever,’ " Megan told the Star.
The man Gibson had met with "grabbed him in the rear, exposed himself to the young man and then later gave him an iPad, BlackBerry cell phone and $100 cash to keep quiet," the Star article said.
Megan reportedly continued to berate the older man as her brother escaped from the hotel room. On the drive back to their home, the siblings received calls on the Blackberry, and Megan spoke to a caller who identified herself as Hinkle’s wife.
"I was like, ’Your husband is gay,’" Megan told the Star. "And then she was like, ’You have the wrong person.’"
The caller then told Megan she was mistaken, but when Megan gave her Hinkle’s email address, "The line went silent," the article said.
A few seconds later, Megan related, the caller asked her not to contact the authorities. More calls then began to pour in to the Blackberry from the lawmaker’s family members, according to Megan, who ended up meeting briefly with Hinkle’s daughter back at the hotel after she had taken her brother home. At that meeting, the article said, Megan showed Hinkle’s daughters the email exchange between her brother and the lawmaker.
After that meeting, Megan said, she got another call from Hinkle’s wife, offering $10,000 for her silence and that of her brother. Then she got a call from Hinkle himself, who told her, "You just ruined me."
Hinkle did not directly deny the young man’s story when contacted by the newspaper, the article said, but he told the Star that there was "a shakedown taking place." He asked that his lawyer be addressed with additional inquiries about the alleged incident.
Gibson denied that he was attempting to "shake down" the lawmaker. His sister, Megan, went to the press with the story because she thought the older man’s purported actions were "creepy."
Attorney Peter Nugent told the Star that he had "seen some emails, but not all of them," and added, "I’m trying to get to the bottom of everything involved" with the young man’s story.
The lawyer later issued a statement reading, "Representative Hinkle is aware of the inquiries by The Indianapolis Star and we are investigating the matter at this time. We request that everyone respect the privacy of the family at this time."
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, told the Indianapolis Star in a separate article that he would not press for the lawmaker’s resignation, saying, "It’s not for me to say. It’s for him and his constituents. It’s just a personal family tragedy." Daniels declined further comment.
Text at Hinkle’s state government website reads, "I have always considered it an honor and have enjoyed being an active participant in our governmental system, and am happy to have this chance to make my ideas a little more accessible to you.
"The political process provides a forum for thoughts, opinions, and the opportunity for beneficial changes," the text adds. "I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to make our state a better place to live."
