A group of students said on Friday that they were sorry for all the homophobic responses that Congressman Alex Morse had to deal with in response to accusations that he had not behaved well with students as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Massachusetts College Democrats said that while it believed the concerns expressed by students were legitimate, it was unfortunate that those concerns were used to attack Morse, the mayor of Holyoke, Mass., In a stereotypical way.
Morse, a progressively challenging Rep. Richard Neal
Richard Edmund Neal The Campaign Report of Hill: Trump Threatens Funding of Postal Services l Biden proposes national mask mandate. Democratic convention takes shape Morse supporters call for investigation into allegations that allegations have been made Allegations roil progressive insurgent’s House MORE (D-Mass.) In a primary next month, this week was at the center of a debate after the student body sent a letter to the Daily Collegian of UMass Amherst. The letter claimed that Morse was not behaving well with students and was the subject of a story in the student document.
“We condemn all homophobic attacks that followed the publication of the article. While we believe the concerns expressed by students were genuine, those concerns were used to portray Morse in a way that plays into unusual stereotypes,” the president said. the group Hayley Fleming wrote in a letter to members on Friday.
“That is not acceptable, and we want to make it clear that we do not condone the narrative as those attacks in any way,” she continued. “I sincerely apologize for the damage these homophobic responses have caused to Morse and the larger LGBTQ + community, and I apologize for the role we are playing in that damage.”
In a letter received by The Intercept, Morse thanked the group. He said he did not believe he had done anything wrong in his dealings with students, but that he understood that some might feel certain pressure from interactions with him given his status in the community.
“This past week I have had time to think and reflect,” Morse wrote. “While I really did not think I had done anything that would cause discomfort, I understand in a new way how my power as mayor and lecturer affects how I am received in social institutions.”
“Going forward, I’m becoming more aware of power dynamics in my interactions with other people,” he said.
The earlier letter from the student body claimed that Morse was frequently linked to students on dating apps, adding students he met at the Democrats ‘events on Instagram and sent them instant messages and had’ sexually contact ‘students at UMass Amherst and other schools.
There were also allegations that the student body issued the letter to harass Morse before his primary was against Neal.
The Intercept reported that the UMass Amherst College Democrats began discussing ways to damage Morse’s campaign in an effort to help Neal’s campaign as soon as October.
Neal denied in a statement on Thursday that he had no involvement in publishing the allegations.
“I learned about the allegations against Mayor Morse, as everyone else did in the Daily Collegian last week,” Neal said. “I also want to be clear: I will not tolerate my name being associated with homophobic attacks or attempts to criticize someone for whom they choose to love. That is in line with my character and my values.”
“Any implications I or any of my campaign involved are flat out wrong and an attempt to divert it to the issue at hand,” he added. “I am and will remain fully focused on the respective records of myself and Mayor Morse.”
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