Indiana Candidate Opposing GLBT Protections Has Gay Hookup App Profile

The race for a city council seat in Indiana just got even more interesting after a Republican candidate who opposes amending the city's civil rights ordinance to include LGBT people was found to have a profile on Adam4Adam, a gay hookup website.

Brent Randall, a candidate for the Goshen City Council for the District 5 seat, confirmed to The Goshen News that an Adam4Adam profile page containing his photos and personal information belonged to him. The News was tipped off to the existence of the page last week by a source not affiliated either with Randall or his opponent's campaigns.

The paper brought the information they had obtained to Randall's attention before running with the story, though the editorial board later admitted they initially had qualms about running the story due to Randall's stature within the community. In addition to his candidacy, Randall is a prominent local figure who also serves as the head golf coach for Goshen High School and a radio announcer who reports on the school's football and basketball teams for ElkhartCountySports.com,

Randall, who was married to a woman for 22 years before divorcing in 2009, has previously expressed his opposition to amending Goshen's civil rights ordinance to include nondiscrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. All the Republicans running in this year's municipal elections in Goshen have adopted the same stance on the issue.

When asked about his profile page, Randall said: "My life has changed a lot over the last six years since my divorce. ...[The profile page is] still active. I do check it. I do talk to people. I've never met anybody from that profile. I do enjoy meeting new people of all different walks of life.

"I don't even know if I consider myself bisexual or not," he continued, noting that he has also been dating women since his divorce. "I just experimented a little since I was single again."

Yet despite admitting that he continues to maintain the profile on the hookup website, Randall is holding firm on his opposition to LGBT nondiscrimination protections.

"...I still believe in my heart of hearts that our gay and lesbian communities are protected currently under the law," Randall explained. "If there are cases that need to be brought, let's bring them. I don't know why they feel they need special protections when there are other categories that might need protections. My little experimentation over the last six years hasn't changed my view on that."

In response to the story, Goshen Republicans have circled the wagons around Randall, deeming the existence of the hookup site profile a "non-issue."

"He is the same person today as he was yesterday and is the right person to serve on City Council representing District 5," Mary Cripe, the Goshen Republican Party's candidate for mayor, said of Randall. Cripe then tried to suggest that someone affiliated with the Democratic Party or District 5 Democratic nominee Adam Scharf's campaign, had possibly revealed the information to try and hurt Randall - something the managing editor of the News has said is not true.

"We are deeply saddened to see someone's private personal life be exposed, by no choice of his own, for what can only appear to be political motivations," Cripe continued. "His entire life is turned upside down. Our only hope is that this is not some type of political tactic by the opposing party, as we all signed the Fair Campaign Pledge."