Apparently, this was an open secret, going all the way back to his Navy days:
LINK(excerpt)
WHAT I HAVE KNOWN ABOUT ERIC MASSA I’ve known about Eric Massa’s problem for more than three years.
And I’m not talking about his lymphoma.
I’m talking about the fact that he is reportedly attracted to men, and that he manifests it in inappropriate ways.
(SNIP)
When I heard the allegations against Eric Massa yesterday, they were sadly similar to allegations I became aware of during his first congressional campaign and which, though I was confident of their truthfulness, I did not report.
The information is this: During his Navy career, Eric Massa allegedly touched at least two men inappropriately and may have exhibited a pattern of putting himself in situations where he would see men naked – particularly younger and lower-ranked men.
These allegations come from general shipboard understandings and conversations, and were relayed to me by shipmates of Eric Massa.
In one instance, Eric Massa was a lieutenant commander and the combat systems officer of the USS Jouett. That made him the third-ranking officer on the boat – behind the captain and the executive officer.
According to another officer on the ship, Massa and a lieutenant were on liberty in the Middle East. Massa had made the motel arrangements and the room turned out to have only one bed. The lieutenant reportedly told other officers on the ship that while they were in the room, Massa came up behind him and started massaging his neck and shoulders.
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And yet when Mark Foley sends naughty text messages, it's on the front page of the NYT, above the fold, for weeks.
