Anti-Gay Politician Sexually Harassed More Than 30 Men and Teenagers Before He Was Caught: Report

When Ohio state Rep. Wes Goodman was caught in his congressional office heroically helping another man release the Krakken, some people felt sorry for the politician. Even though he had a long history of anti-LGBTQ advocacy, including trying to block same-sex marriage in Washington, D.C., there were a few people who sympathized with Goodman’s wife and family. Others felt for Goodman, remarking how hard it must have been for him to suppress his feelings and sexual desires all his life and live a lie.

It turns out, if you’re sending an endless stream of dick pics and propositioning every young college student within penis-striking distance, it may not be so hard after all.

The Independent Journal Review has a story that details more than 30 people, most of them college-age men, who allege that they were sexually harassed by Wes Goodman. The story is corroborated by text messages, direct messages and even a few screenshots of what are alleged to be Goodman’s “Southern strategy.”

Many of the sources tell the Independent Journal Review that Goodman often used the same tactics: Become friendly with a young political activist, begin a texting relationship with the guy, and then send photos of his penis or video of himself masturbating.

One source told the outlet of Goodman:

A couple weeks later, he asked for my Snapchat. I wasn’t aware of his background in gay circles, and I’m straight myself. I thought it would be a great way to build a professional relationship with an upcoming conservative lawmaker and seemingly solid guy. However, he constantly sent me Snaps and was always commenting on my stories. He also asked how much ‘p***y’ I was getting and wondering what I was doing on Friday and Saturday nights. I started to think something was a little weird.

... Then in November 2016, one night, he started a conversation about how his wife was asleep and he was bored. I didn’t reply for about 30 min after opening the Snapchat. Then, he sent me videos of him masturbating as well as d**k pics. He also sent another Snapchat asking how big my penis was. I immediately blocked him.

One of the dozens of screenshots in the IJR story shows what appears to be Goodman on Snapchat saying, “I’m so hard” and another saying, “You should be here getting your dick sucked.”

Goodman often asked men to join him in the hot tub naked, and one of his favorite moves was to ask other young men to come over and “help him out,” according to the report. Goodman would explain to some of his accusers how it wasn’t necessarily gay if it was “alpha to alpha.” (No, I’m not going to make that joke.)

In a separate Washington Post story, an 18-year-old said that he met Goodman at a Washington, D.C., fundraiser one night and accepted Goodman’s offer to go back to his room only after Goodman pressured him in front of other young guys at the Council for National Policy event.

The teenager alleged that when he fell asleep, Goodman unzipped his pants and tried to pull out his penis, the Post reports. The 18-year old bolted from the room and informed his parents, who told Tony Perkins, the CNP president.

Goodman, 33, is a longtime proponent of “natural marriage” and campaigned as the conscience of the conservative movement. He is married to a conservative anti-abortion rights activist named Beth. Of course their names are Wes and Beth.

I blame Goodman’s parents for this. If your parents give you the name Wesley, by law you must either join the Republican Party or fight vampires with karate. Those are your only two choices. Or maybe Goodman was actually fighting vampires. Instead of all that neck biting, maybe he found it easier to drain the blood through a different artery. Did you ever think about that? I don’t judge.

While many have condemned Goodman’s actions, it is possible that this is all a misunderstanding. Perhaps Goodman didn’t understand what any of this meant when he became a Republican. Maybe he thought his political career would consist of a series of events with naked men writhing in hot tubs and sending unsolicited masturbation videos. Perhaps he assumed that’s what they meant when he joined the “Grand Ol’ Party.”

Read more at the Independent Journal Review and the Washington Post.