It's Getting Hard to Keep the Anti-Gay Republicans Straight

[Pokey Anderson]

It's Getting Hard to Keep the Anti-Gay Republicans Straight: The Richard Curtis Story

Cross-Dressing Washington State Lawmaker Allegedly Blackmailed Following Late Night Tryst in Black Sequined Lingerie

by Pokey Anderson
November 3, 2007
The Brad Blog
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5241

Just down the road from Mount St. Helens, there's an unexpected eruption. The small southwest Washington town of La Center is having a political eruption --- its state legislator is embroiled in a sex scandal, details of which are still unfolding.

This time, there's no resorting to the time-honored "wide stance" <1> defense, and no encrypted toe tapping <2> in an airport public restroom. This time, there is no explicit text messaging <3> to a Congressional page from a member of Congress, then co-chair of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, while a bill is being debated on the floor of the Capitol.

This time, the stage is a booth in back of an X-rated video store, and then a room in the nicest hotel in Spokane, Washington.

This time, there's a lawmaker wearing black sequined lingerie...

The stars in this scandal:

1. Two-term State Rep. Richard Curtis, 48, from Washington State. This spring, he voted against domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian couples. Last year, he opposed a gay rights bill that banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. You may be shocked to learn he is a Republican. He is a former fire captain, and is married. To a woman.

2. The rent boy/hustler. The fellow Rep. Curtis allegedly hired <4> for the evening, is apparently a porn actor and male prostitute with a criminal record. Cody Castagna is known in some circles as "Stallion."

According to The Columbian, "A search <5> for Castagna in court records turned up a number of cases in Spokane and King County on a variety of charges. Most cases were in juvenile court and involved charges of assault, theft, burglary and malicious mischief. In adult court, court records showed that Castagna pleaded guilty in 2001 to a forgery charge and was sentenced to two months in jail and 12 months in community custody."

A brief video clip of Castagna is posted here. <6>

The Plot - A Night in the Life

Rep. Curtis was in Spokane, at the other end of the state from his home district, for strategy meetings with other Republican legislators. He booked a room in the best hotel in town.

First Stop - Video Store...
Late in the evening, Rep. Curtis visited a porn video store. Some of these adult video stores have booths in the back that are frequented by men seeking anonymous sex. According to a Spokane TV station: "During his visit to the video store Curtis was observed <7> wearing women’s lingerie while receiving oral sex from an unidentified man in one of the movie viewing booths inside the store." The Spokesman Review reported the rent boy told <8> detectives that he saw a man later identified as Curtis in the video store "wearing long red women's stockings and black sequined lingerie."

The newspaper added: "An employee at the store told detectives Curtis has been in the business three times in the last month and is called 'the cross-dresser' by employees." He continued to wear these items throughout the night under his clothing.

Second Stop - Casino...

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