Anti-gay lawmaker caught in Craigslist scandal

Emails obtained by the Indianapolis Star reveal that Indiana State Rep. Phillip Hinkle arranged a tryst with a young man after reading his ad in the “Casual Encounters” section of the online classifieds site.

When contacted by the newspaper on Thursday night, the lawmaker didn’t deny that the emails were his but said, "I am aware of a shakedown taking place," the Star reports. He did not elaborate.

Hinkle, 64, is married, Republican and voted this year in favor of a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as being only between one man and one woman. He also co-wrote the bill that created the state’s "In God We Trust" license plate, according to the Evansville Courier & Press.

The Star reports that Hinkle responded to an ad in the “m4m,” or men for men, section posted by 18-year-old Kameryn Gibson, who said he was 20 and looking for a “sugga daddy.” The lawmaker arranged to meet him at an Indianapolis hotel and pay him up to $140 “for a really good time.”

In the hotel room, Hinkle allegedly mentioned to Gibson that he was a politician, and Gibson got cold feet. When Gibson said he wanted to leave, Hinkle tried to stop him, dropping his towel to expose himself, and Gibson fled to the bathroom, where he called his sister, Megan, who came to the hotel room to pick him up.

According to the Gibson siblings, Hinkle offered them $100, his iPad and his BlackBerry if they promised not to go to the police or the media. Hinkle’s family, they said, also offered to pay them $10,000 if they kept quiet.

The Gibson siblings went to the Indianapolis Star with their story, but deny they attempted to shake down the lawmaker. Megan Gibson said she contacted the newspaper because she thought Hinkle's actions were "creepy" and should be made public since he is an elected official.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday that it's up to Hinkle and his constituents to decide whether he should resign, the Chicago Tribune reports. “It’s just a personal, a family tragedy, and I’m sad about that,” Daniels said.