Ore. gay rights activist pleads not guilty to sex crimes
PORTLAND, Ore. — The lawyer for a prominent Portland gay-rights activist defended her client in court Wednesday after he pleaded not guilty to sex crimes involving a minor.
Terrence Patrick Bean, 66, was arrested on in November and charged with sodomy and sex abuse. Shortly after, 25-year-old Kiah Lawson, who is reportedly Bean's ex-boyfriend, was also arrested on similar charges.
Bean's lawyer, Kristen Winemiller, said her client is the victim of an extortion plot.
"Terry absolutely did not have sex with a minor," she said Wednesday during his arraignment in Lane County Court, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him. "The circumstances behind this are not what they appear to be."
Winemiller said she couldn't comment on specifics of the case, but Bean is looking forward to telling the public and his supporters what actually happened.
"He has been the victim of a series of crimes perpetrated by a group of men that includes his so-called ex-partner and now co-defendant, Kyle Lawson," she said. "We are eager to present the facts to the court and clearing Terry's name."
Bean is a well-known Portland real estate developer who helped found the Human Rights Campaign, a national organization that fights for gay rights, and has donated thousands of dollars to politicians. He has personally met with President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, among others.
A Willamette Week article from June 4 profiled Bean and Lawson. According to the report, Bean paid Lawson a weekly allowance and brought him to high-profile events, including one at the White House where he met Barack Obama.
The article said Bean secretly filmed his sexual encounters with up to six individuals, including Lawson.
Lawson reportedly learned of this in January and asked Bean for money.
The Portland police sex crimes unit is leading the investigation.