Brian Camenker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brian Camenker is a prominent conservative activist in Massachusetts. Currently, he is the leader of The Article 8 Allianceand MassResistance.com, activist groups that seek to remove Massachusetts State Supreme Court judges who recognized a State constitutional right to same-sex Marriage in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.

In the past, he has gained attention for speaking out against a statewide conference, called "Teach-Out," that was sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, held at Tufts University. Camenker secretly taped the event and recorded explicit sexual discussion, including discussion of the practice known as "fisting" which was presented as "an experience of letting somebody into your body that you want to be that close and intimate with ... [and] to put you into an exploratory mode." This led the incident to be dubbed "Fistgate" by Camenker and others. ^[1] As a result of the outcry that was generated when parents heard tapes of the event, Margot Abels who made the comments about "fisting", and two other state employees were fired. ^[2] Abels has filed suit against Camenker as a result of his distribution of the tape recordings. ^[3]

Camenker gained additional attention after he and Kim Cariani tried to videotape an event called "To BGLAD: Transgender, Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Awareness Day" at Newton North High School in December of 2004. Camenker and Cariani said that they were warned by four police officers and the school principal that they would be charged with trespassing if they didn't leave the campus. A local newspaper columnist, Tom Mountain of the Newton Tab, also was barred from the assembly "for the safety and security of the children." ^[4]

In fall, 2005, Camenker appeared on the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in a segment narrated by Ed Helms. In it, helms asks Camenker if the new gay marriages affected crime, homelessness or air quality in Massachusetts, and Camenker asserted that he could find connections if he researched it. Camenker, when asked whether his marriage was threatened by the new state law, said that it was an inappropriate question.

Born in Venice, Florida, Camenker was a long-time resident of Newton, Massachusetts, where he participated in local politics and was a constant critic of the city's liberal government and populace. He no longer resides in Newton.