Alex morse gay
Alex Morse Steps Down As Mayor Of Holyoke Where His Election Made History A Decade Ago
A chapter in western Massachusetts political history closes Friday when Alex Morse resigns as mayor of Holyoke.
After more than nine years as mayor, and following his loss in a bitter 2020 Congressional race, Morse is moving to Provincetown. He’ll become the town manager of the Cape Cod resort town – a longtime haven for artists and a vacation destination for the LGBTQ community.
Newly graduated from Brown University, Morse upset incumbent Elaine Pluta in the 2011 election to become mayor of the town where he was born and raised.
"It feels superb and I am sure it will settle in in the morning," Morse said in an interview after declaring victory. "We accomplished something really enormous tonight. This victory is not about Alex Morse. It is not about Elaine Pluta. It is about the future of the city of Holyoke."
At the age of 22, he was the youngest Holyoke mayor and its first openly gay mayor. His election drew national news coverage.
"It has been a
AMHERST (CBS) -- An independent investigation finds former Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse did not violate school policy when he pursued relationships with UMass students while teaching there.
UMass Amherst hired an outside lawyer last year to review claims that Morse pressured college students into relationships. Morse, who is openly homosexual, had admitted having relationships with students and said the allegations were part of a "smear campaign."
Investigators determined that Morse did not violate school policy on consensual relationships because he did not possess any kind of supervision over the students.
Read The Report (PDF)
"Alex Morse's pursuit of dating or or sexual relationships with university students made a number of students uncomfortable and led to UMass Democrats' decision to disinvite him from future events but did not unreasonably interfere with any student's academic performance or ability to participate in university programs or activities under the university's sexual harassment policy," the report stated.
The state did note that while the evidence does not show that Morse violated "the letter" of university policies, his pursuit of relationships "may be inconsiste
Victory Fund Condemns Homophobic Assault on Alex Morse by Councilmember Mike Sullivan; Demands Retraction
Washington, DC – Today LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization assigned to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, condemned a homophobic statement released by Holyoke Councilmember Mike Sullivan that attacks openly gay mayor and Congressional candidate Alex Morse. In the statement, Sullivan repeatedly accuses Morse of “sexual activities with teenagers” despite no allegations he had relationships with people underage. Victory Fund believes the use of the synonyms “teenagers” is meant to purposely evoke homophobic stereotypes of gay men as pedophiles.
Sullivan’s statement – which can be read in its entirety here – follows vague and anonymous allegations by Massachusetts College Democrats that Morse had relationships with college students and that some felt “uncomfortable” because he was mayor of Holyoke and a professor. Morse is 31 years old. The motivations of those who released the letter are being questioned.
Sullivan’s statement calls on Morse to resign as mayor and three councilmembers said they will vote to support a recall petition: Councilmembers David
Alex Morse accusations were homophobic smears
When the letter accusing Alex Morse was reported on Aug. 7, I was suspicious. It was vague, unsubstantiated and seemed designed to play into pernicious tropes conflating homosexuality and pedophilia. There was enough there to put that image in your head. Later the accusations were revealed to be a smear involving members of the UMass Amherst College Democrats, the Massachusetts Democratic Party and the grandson of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The fact that this attack got so much attention is disheartening and the involvement of party leadership is nauseating.
The original accusation did not claim that Morse had violated any UMass policies. It claimed that he had made students “uncomfortable,” equivalent and messaged with them on matchmaking app apps, and went to College Democrats events to encounter students, though he attended only one such event since beginning his campaign. His actions violate neither Title IX law nor UMass policy. Morse promptly admitted to having consensual relationships with students, none of which had been students he taught. No one has come forward claiming to be one of Morse’s victims, no one had previously reported Morse
'It Has A Chilling Effect': Some In LGBTQ Group Say Scrutiny Of Alex Morse Is Harmful
Congressional candidate Alex Morse appeared on a debate stage Monday for the first moment since the University of Massachusetts began investigating a sexual misconduct complaint leveled against him by a student group. Dozens of state Democratic committee members are calling for an independent investigation into what role state party leaders may have played in spreading the misconduct allegations.
Morse is the 31-year-old mayor of Holyoke and a former adjunct professor at UMass Amherst. He acknowledges having relationships with college students but says they weren't in his class, and insists he didn't abuse his status. He claims he is entity unfairly targeted because he is gay.
"I would never want to make someone feel uncomfortable," Morse said in the debate. But he added that, in his view, "this was a backroom, coordinated political smear against our campaign."
Some members of the LGBTQ community say Morse's relationships prompt important questions about power and consent in the age of #MeToo. Some also worry the general scrutiny could discourage others from entering politics.
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