**Admitted sexual relations with a 17 yr old Congressial page**
U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds (D), the first openly gay person elected to Congress died Saturday October 14, 2006 , his husband , Dean Hara said. Hara married Studds shortly after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004,
In 1983, Studds acknowledged his homosexuality after the page revealed he'd had a relationship with Studds a decade earlier, when the page was 17.
Studds defended the relationship as a consensual relationship with a young adult.
In 1996, Congress named the 842-square-mile Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary after him in recognition of his work protecting the marine environment.
"His work on behalf of our fishing industry and the protection of our waters has guided the fishing industry into the future and ensured that generations to come will have the opportunity to love and learn from the sea," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement.
2006-10-15
15:19:02
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