News from Florida (We Crazy Here!)

Allen denies sex allegations
By John McCarthy

TITUSVILLE -- Bob Allen has no intention of resigning his state House seat and is "absolutely" not guilty of soliciting for prostitution, the 48-year-old Merritt Island resident told FLORIDA TODAY Thursday afternoon.

Police arrested Allen Wednesday afternoon at a Titusville park bathroom after he allegedly offered to perform oral sex on an undercover officer and to pay the officer $20 for the opportunity. He faces one charge of solicitation, a second-degree misdemeanor, and posted $500 bond later Wednesday and was released from the Brevard County jail.

"I'm absolutely not guilty, and I'm going to put on a vigorous defense to prove that," he told the newspaper.

He said police accounts of the incident are wrong -- "That is not what happened." -- but that he cannot offer details as to what did happen because of the unfolding legal process.
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1. Let me draw your attention to the fact that the gender of the undercover officer has discreetly been left unvoiced. This story was repeated today on our local NPR station (WFSU) and the gender of the officer was again unstated. They did say "perform oral sex on an undercover officer" from which, I suppose, we are all supposed to draw our own conclusions.
2. State Representative Allen seems to have no explanation for cruising in a public park bathroom.
3. He's married and has one kid.
4.Twenty dollars? That's it!?!?
5. If you ask me, I don't really have any problem with a couple of guys messing around in a park bathroom. It's a true shame that the Titusville police go around arresting people who do this. But it always feels kind of good when another crazy right-wing white man gets caught doing something he publicly condemns, hoist with his own petard, if you will.
6. If we all could just be less afraid of sexual difference...