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Wednesday, 24 December 2008 22:27
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 Disbarred Attorney Calls Gays 'Perverts'
Thompson Has a History
of Fighting Gays
By Robbie Gaye
Forget Pastor Ric Warren for a moment, the Coral Gables attorney permanently disbarred earlier this year by the Supreme Court of Florida posted an opinion on a justice association blog last week that homosexuals are 'sexually perverse.'
Jack Thompson, convicted of 27 counts of professional misconduct, including knowingly lying to a judge, and numerous acts which constituted violations of the Florida ethical rules, made the post on J.A.A.B. blog, a Broward County legal website. Thompson was a Dade County lawyer before his removal from the profession.
When a blogger posted a piece chastising the mayor, Thompson replied with two posts of his own, the first reading 'homosexuality is a choice and a sin.'
After more comments, Thompson came back with a demeaning remark to a poster, and reasserted his position- stating that 'sexual perversion is a choice, not a lifestyle, sweetie.' Said the blogger who was attacked, “Obviously, Mr. Thompson has a problem with gays.”
Indeed, over the course of the disbarment proceedings, Thompson had filed numerous complaints alleging that the Florida Bar was engaging complaints from gay rights activists who had no right judging the 'Christian' lawyer. None of Thompson’s accusations against the Florida Bar’s purportedly pro gay bias were either sustained or held to have merit. His arguments were summarily rejected as specious by both his reviewers at the Bar staff offices, and the judge who eventually tried his case.
During the pendency of the proceedings, Thompson voluntarily took part in an ACLU sponsored debate about a proposed same-sex marriage amendment in Florida. He spoke in opposition of gay marriage, and gay adoption, and then filed pleadings in his disciplinary case claiming the Florida Bar was now unfit to review him, since he was a ‘Christian,’ and one of the lawyers asked to review his behavior had signed a petition in support of same-sex marriage.
Thompson stated at the time, “I am being attacked solely because of my Christian beliefs and because I will not cave in to the gay rights agenda of the Florida Bar.” Authorities dismissed his argument as without substance.
In another case where his claims were dismissed as “wholly without merit,” Thompson sought to revoke the license of the WQAM radio station in Miami, unsuccessfully alleging that they were running a criminal enterprise which promoted homosexuality and on-air pornography. In a lengthy decision in June of 2007, which was affirmed unanimously in the Fall of 2008, the Federal Communications Commission found Thompson’s complaint as “wholly without substance.”
Over the years prior to his disbarment, Thompson’s campaigns against gay issues have been newsworthy and legendary. He unsuccessfully ran against Janet Reno for public office, accusing her of being a closeted lesbian. In 1988, Thompson stood for election as Dade County State Prosecutor against the incumbent Janet Reno. At a campaign event, he presented Reno with an ultimatum- a letter asking her to indicate publicly, whether she was homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual.
In response, according to Thompson, Reno put her hand on his shoulder and replied, "I'm only interested in virile men. That's why I'm not interested in you." Thompson then astonishingly filed a police report accusing her of criminal battery for touching him. A special prosecutor was appointed to investigate the charge, which was quickly dismissed as a "political ploy.” Reno went on to crush Thompson at the polls, winning 69 percent of the vote.
Thompson then began filing numerous unsuccessful FCC complaints against a local gay radio talk host for scoffing at his antics. Demanding an investigation into an allegation the host was using teenage boys for illegal sexual purposes, a special prosecutor, an Assistant State Attorney appointed by the governor, eventually concluded Thompson’s allegations were entirely unfounded. In fact, the investigator would write of Thompson that he had “an obsessional hatred with the talk show host.” Thompson then responded by accusing the special prosecutor of having a drinking problem.
Later in 1990, Thompson accused the Switchboard of Miami, a social service group that held Reno as a board member, of placing "homosexual-education tapes" in public schools. He sent out numerous press releases asking that the charitable agency’s charter be cancelled. The effort failed.
Thompson has not stopped his advancing his anti gay agenda. Waging a prominent and vigorous battle against ‘violent’ video game distribution, Thompson also complained to authorities that one release, entitled ‘Bully’, depicted homosexual content and activity which was harmful to minors. He demanded it be removed because it was ‘mentally molesting children.’ Bloggers on such sites as gamepolitics.com would often make Thompson the focus of their vitriol and polemic.
Indeed, Thompson even sought injunctions to bar the release of purportedly offensive video games to the public. One such endeavor led to a judicial Bar complaint against him that would contribute to his disbarment.
More recently, Thompson also filed a complaint against an Orlando lawyer for the Florida Bar of improperly using his offices to promote gay rights. The lawyer apparently simply was conducting a meeting for a legal not for profit group supportive of gay and lesbian issues.
In one instance last April, a federal judge threatened to hold Thompson in contempt for posting pictures of naked men in intercourse on the public access website of the United States’ court system. Thompson alleged it was necessary to show the pictures in order to demonstrate his arguments showing the pro gay bias of the Florida Bar. The Supreme Court of Florida was not amused, and eventually sanctioned him for “irresponsible and unprofessional” submissions to the court. He was barred from filing further pleadings in his own name.
In those court actions, Thompson has also targeted the well known gay publisher of this website, www.nationalgaynews.com. Thompson filed unsuccessful Florida Bar complaints against Norm Kent, accusing him of conducting a criminal enterprise and running a “porn-to-kids website.” As reported previously in NGN, the Florida Bar summarily rejected Thompson’s complaints as unfounded and without merit. It was not the first time that Thompson had filed complaints against the gay lawyer which proved to be unsubstantiated.
Twenty years ago, Thompson also targeted Kent with an unsuccessful complaint to the Florida Bar for using as a logo on his law office stationery the silhouette of a male holding the scales of justice rather than the traditional blind lady. Thompson claim Kent bastardized and “homosexualized” Lady Justice. That effort too failed, as did another Thompson effort to get Kent censured by the Florida Bar for admitting in a published column in The Express Gay News that he once went to a ‘foam party’ at a gay bar.
In other career endeavors motivated by sexual overtones, Thompson has also targeted heterosexual hosts and recording stars that have made their living off cutting edge sexual themes, from recording artist Luther Campbell to talker Howard Stern, alleging their conduct was obscene. During the Campbell trial, he attempted to intervene because he alleged a juror was gay and could not decide the case fairly. While he was able to persuade the FCC to impose a substantial fine for an allegedly obscene Howard Stern broadcast, Stern would eventually move to a ten million dollar contract with satellite radio.
Two years ago, during the Christmas holidays, Thompson held press conferences asking the Attorney General to pursue legal charges against Spencer’s, a retail outlet in many malls, for simply selling sexually oriented mock holiday gifts, like Santa Claus without undergarments, or ‘boob’ shaped pasta. He said their sales as offered violated state statutes on pornography.
For all his efforts, Thompson won notoriety and newsworthiness, but a Florida Bar investigation revealed numerous instances of professional misconduct that he could not explain away. In October, a jurist published a 135 page opinion recommending his disbarment, which followed, concluding that “Thompson has interfered with the administration of justice, filed multiple false pleadings, lied brazenly to courts, disparaged and berated judges inappropriately, engaged in blatant misrepresentations, and acts of deceit and dishonesty, as well as threatening litigants without just cause, showing no sign of rehabilitation.”
The Supreme Court of Florida then adopted the recommendation, ruling that “Mr. Thompson has acted willfully and unprofessionally with no sense of remorse or regret.” Mr. Thompson’s appeals in the US District and appellate courts have been summarily dismissed. He was permanently disbarred from the practice of law with no right of readmission. Nevertheless, he has stood steadfast in his opposition to the ruling, and has called the disbarment ‘illegal’ and ‘not based on a shred of evidence.’
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