“Democrat William E. Knapp, who is running for the 1st District Elmira City Council seat, was busted in an undercover sex sting operation on Thursday, city police said. Knapp, 53, of Elmira, was charged with loitering with an intent to solicit sex, said police Capt. Michael Marrrone… The incident began around 9:50 p.m. Thursday, when Knapp was near Lake and Carroll streets, ‘a targeted patrol (area) for people loitering in the area,’ the police report said. Officer William Solt, working undercover, was parked on Carroll Street when he was approached by a man identified as Knapp, who was wearing jeans shorts and a gray T-shirt, the report said. The report said Knapp began a conversation with Solt. It was at this time, police said, that Knapp allegedly was explicit in the type of sex act he wanted from Solt. According to the report, Solt arranged to meet Knapp in a parking lot off Fox Street, and while there, Knapp allegedly asked Solt to return with him to his home. It was then that Officer Patrick Griffin and Sgt. Robert Smallcomb arrived and arrested Knapp.” —Star-Gazette (US)

To see a politician undermine himself by getting caught with his pants down is nothing new. It happens all the time, and in that respect there is nothing remarkable about the case of Mr. Knapp. However, take a close look at exactly how he ended up (allegedly) committing a crime. He approaches a man who was already lingering on the street. He strikes up a conversation. The conversation must have been comfortable enough for him to proposition the man. The man agrees to meet him in a parking lot somewhere. In the parking lot, Mr. Knapp asks the guy to come home with him — and wham! The cops pounce on him like he’s a bank robber.

Frankly, it’s difficult to see what the crime is. Nowhere does the story say that Mr. Knapp offered to pay for sex. He was charged simply with “loitering with an intent to solicit sex.” But why is it illegal for an impromptu conversation to lead to a sexual proposition? It’s not like the guy went up to a fourteen-year-old boy and copped a feel. It’s not like he forced himself on a random pedestrian. He struck up a conversation with somebody who was already hanging out on the street. What’s the big stinking deal? People cruise each other all the time. Is Mr. Knapp in trouble just because he approached another man? Is that it — institutionalized homophobia? Does the police department in Elmira have a hard time meeting its quota of speeding tickets and therefore feel the need to drum up some revenue by harrassing the local gays?

Naturally Mr. Knapp’s Republican opponent is “outraged.” The newspaper quotes Susan Skidmore, the opponent, as saying: “I would be outraged if I was a member of the public if I knew a person of this ilk was trying to take public office and be a representative of this community… He certainly isn’t a representative of our community.” What does she mean by “a person of this ilk?” A homosexual?

Advice to Mr. Knapp: contact Lambda Legal ASAP.

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