Hudson Valley Lawmaker: ‘It’s Not Rape, It’s Surprise Sex’
A Hudson Valley lawmaker is under fire for "vulgar, offensive and disrespectful language about women" he made on Facebook years ago.
On Friday, Republican Margaret Kakish highlighted a number of old Facebook posts made by Democratic Dutchess County lawmaker Giancarlo Llaverias.
"It's not rape, It's surprise sex," Llaverias wrote on Facebook on Aug. 11, 2011, according to screenshots shared by Kakish who is running against Llaverias for District 1 County Legislator in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
Kakish says Llaverias has a history of posting "completely vulgar, offensive and disrespectful language about women."
Kakish also said Llaverias made the following posts on Facebook:
- Discusses a woman’s proficieny at performing oral sex claiming that not every “girl” can satisfy him.
- Started a debate over whether or not woman approve of being called a “bit**”, stating that he thought it was okay in certain circumstances.
- Speaks about having sex with someone’s girlfriend while they watch (the phrasing suggests all parties did not consent).
- Calls a woman a “whore.”
- Tells a person to “suck his [testicales] [SIC].
You can see more screenshots HERE.
“I am absolutely sickened by these comments,” Kakish said in a statement. “As a grandmother and as a mother, I am deeply offended that he thinks it is okay to use this type of language about women. He is continuously proving that he is unfit for office. These aren’t one time comments- it is a pattern of disrespect and inappropriate behavior. October is domestic violence awareness month rather than shaming women we should be helping and assisting women not silencing them with disrespectful actions.”
On Saturday, Llaverias responded on Facebook and apologized.
"I’m sorry for the comments of 6 years ago, but at least I have grown. I hope that this can serve as a lesson to others that it is never too late to be better and that we all deserve a chance to grow," he said.
He also released the following statement:
For the past few days my opponents' campaign and Mr. Truitt have attacked me with words of my past from 6 years ago. I am a flawed person who made mistakes in his youth and for the statements made years ago I am sorry. In those 6 years I have grown and matured into the community activist, minister, and elected official Dutchess County has grown to know. I am not here to make excuses for my past, but to show how people can grow from their past and become better people. I have had great people to intervene in my life as a youth to help me grow and to give me a swift kick in the rear when necessary.
As the father of a young daughter, I know the impact of my words. At every step in my tenure as Legislator unlike my opponent and Will Truitt I have denounced all sexist rhetoric especially from President Trump when he said in 2005 to “grab them by the...”.
I ask that my constituents forgive the words of a flawed human being. The great thing about being American is that we are not just simply a land of laws, but of second chances. Job 33:29 says “Our God is a God of second chances” and as a steadfast Christian, I believe this to be true. To my opponent and to Will Truitt, I forgive them for their slander and dirty tactics, and I hope the people of District 1 will do the same in forgiving me.
Many trusted friends and colleagues have advised me to play fire with fire, but I refuse to step down to the level of my opponent, Will Truitt, and the Dutchess County GOP. I am a Democrat, I’m better than that. This past sequence of events has only shown me how low Republicans are willing to go for power and how scared they must be where Will Truitt who is irrelevant to District 1 has to do the dirty work of a candidate.
My work in the community does not begin or end on election night. My work in the community is a life-long calling that I gladly answer. Until my time comes to leave this land, whether I am a Legislator or not, I will continue to fight for our youth to have programs and a community center, for our seniors to have better access to transportation, and for those suffering from the opioid crisis to find help, so that they too may have a second chance. Thank you District 1 for your continued support and for giving me the blessing to be your voice.
More From WZAD-WCZX The Wolf
