An anti-gay Indiana Republican state lawmaker has been caught in a gay sex scandal, accused of offering an 18-year-old male cash for “a really good time.”
State Rep. Phillip Hinkle, who recently voted in favor of a state constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, responded to a local posting on Craigslist and offered the young man $80 plus tip to spend time with him Saturday night at the JW Marriott hotel, according to an email exchange provided to The Indianapolis Star.
The emails, sent from Hinkle’s publicly listed personal address, ask the young man for “a couple hours of your time tonight” and offer him cash up front, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 “for a really good time.”
The email exchange is in response to the Craigslist posting in which the young man — who lists his age as 20 in the ad but says he is 18 years old — says, “I need a sugga daddy.”
The young man told The Star that they met, but that he tried to leave after the man told him he was a state lawmaker. He said the lawmaker at first told him he could not leave, grabbed him in the rear, exposed himself to the young man and then later gave him an iPad, BlackBerry cellphone and $100 cash to keep quiet.
The young man, Kameryn Gibson, told the Star he posted the Craigslist ad in the “Casual Encounters” section under “m4m,” which is shorthand for men for men.
The Craigslist ad was posted at 7:37 a.m. Saturday. The ad shows two pictures of Kameryn Gibson, shirtless with pants pulled below the top of his underwear.
The ad’s text features one written line: “Email me and I’ll tell you everything you need to know!”
Forty-seven minutes later, he received a response from phinkle46 @comcast.net, with the email signature “Sent from Phil’s iPad.”
“Cannot be a long time sugar daddy,” the email reads, “but can for tonight. Would you be interested in keeping me company for a while tonight?”
The email offers “to make it worth (your) while” in cash, and offers a personal description: “I am an in shape married professional, 5’8″, fit 170 lbs, and love getting and staying naked.”
Fifteen minutes later, Kameryn Gibson replied: “Yes I can!” He also sent along his phone number.
What followed was an email exchange between phinkle46 @comcast.net and Kameryn Gibson. One email from Hinkle’s account asks “what will make you happy for giving me a couple hours of your time tonight?”
Gibson said that Hinkle picked him up and took him to the hotel. Gibson said he was given a room key and instructed to go into the hotel first, because they couldn’t be seen together.
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Once Hinkle arrived at the room, Gibson said Hinkle told him he was a lawmaker and showed him his identification card.
Gibson said that when he got cold feet and tried to leave, Hinkle tried stopped him.
Gibson excused himself to the bathroom. There, he called his sister Megan. She said she would come get him immediately.
When Gibson came out, he said Hinkle told him he couldn’t leave. Gibson called his sister again. This time, Megan told him to put her on speakerphone.
“I started cussing him,” Megan told The Star. She also threatened to call the police and the local media.
Kameryn and Megan Gibson said Hinkle then offered his iPad, a BlackBerry and $100 in cash.
On the drive home, Megan Gibson said she began receiving phone calls on Hinkle’s BlackBerry, including one from a woman who identified herself as Hinkle’s wife.
“I was like, ‘Your husband is gay,'” Megan told the caller.
Hinkle, 64, is married, Catholic and has been a member of Indiana House of Representatives 92nd District since 2000.
