Officials say story of Polk fire a lie

[kweerwolf]

When a gay couple's Lakeland home was torched and a slur spray-painted on their doorstep this summer, outraged sympathizers from coast to coast reached out, offering money, furniture and even free legal assistance.

But when one of the men confessed to setting the fire, hiding items he'd reported stolen and was charged with arson and insurance fraud Wednesday, supporters said they felt betrayed.

"I feel duped. I feel played, and I'm just physically reeling right now," said Kim Steffgen, an Oregon writer who had planned to tell the men's story via a visual arts and writing project with her spouse, artist Gregg Frederickson.

"Well, so this means that the world is a little less filled with hate-mongers, but a little more filled with cheaters and opportunists," Steffgen concluded when a reporter asked for her reaction. "Safety certainly is relative."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-gayarrest1305oct13,0,6831613.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

[Solo_in_MD]

1. Something about being one's own

worst enemy. As the article points out, every false claim, no matter how few, seriously undercut the credence given valid ones.