Townhall's blockbuster investigative report on the gay Atlanta couple accused of running a gay, suburban, pornography and pedophile ring is full of disturbing and horrifying revelations. The couple was celebrated within Atlanta's gay community as picture-perfect exemplars of a modern, American same-sex marriage.
Indeed, their adoption of two "at risk" special needs siblings from a Christian adoption agency increased the heroic nature of this perfect, modern family in the eyes of many in Atlanta's Pride corridor.
The nature of these adoptions and serious questions about the now defunct agency and their obviously lax vetting protocols are explained in Townhall Investigative Journalist Mia Cathell's third installment, published today.
Townhall has learned that seven years prior to the adoption, Zachary was accused of being a child rapist, but was never charged.
More than a decade ago, there was a 2011 probe into Zachary's alleged pedophilic behavior when he was accused of luring a 14-year-old boy to a residence in Walton County, the same jurisdiction as today's horrifying child sexual abuse case, and having anal sex with the underage victim. But, the 2011 child rape case was shut down and no charges were pursued against Zachary.
Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney Randy McGinley, who serves Walton County, has now formally asked the Walton County Sheriff's Office to continue its previous probe because he believes "it was closed without a whole lot of investigation into it."
This story is tawdry, ugly and enraging. And it's been completely ignored by the national media and even the local outlets in Atlanta.
The couple's arrest in August 2022 occupied a one-day news cycle. The New York Post gave it a few paragraphs in a write-up, which got a bit of attention elsewhere.
A Georgia couple has been charged with using their two adopted children to record child pornography, police said.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office raided a home in Loganville July 27 on reports that a man there was downloading child porn.
After interviewing the suspect, who was not identified, police said they learned there was another suspect in the county who was “producing homemade child sexual abuse material with at least one child who lived in the home,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday.
Imagine for a moment if a prominent, high-profile married heterosexual couple had been accused of engaging in sexual abuse, pornography and prostitution of their two adopted children. What kind of media coverage would that story get?
Imagine if the straight couple were a pastor and his wife—or outspoken conservative, pro-family activists.
There would've been a media-feeding frenzy.
But this story, involving two outspoken pro-LGBTQ rights activists, got perfunctory local write-ups and a small handful of national hits. After the first day, nothing.
It was Cathell's analysis of the story here at Townhall that got the attention of a family member concerned about the welfare of the children involved.
Who exactly are these male suspects accused of child sex crimes they allegedly committed against their own adopted kids? A review of the couple's online content shows they've often championed progressive causes, mostly a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda, despite the heinous acts the gay marital partners allegedly performed on the two prepubescent boys.
They reached out to Townhall and entrusted us with their story. And it's a hugely important story.
But network and cable news outlets won't touch it. Major newspapers and websites will ignore it, too.
Why? Because they're afraid of being labeled "homophobic" for reporting on the sex crimes of a gay couple.
They're afraid that by reporting on the horrific crimes of this couple, their coverage would be interpreted as some sort of "dog whistle" that implies all gay couples do this sort of thing and any gay couple with adopted children should be seen as potential molesters.
But, here's the irony: by ignoring this story, they're actually engaging in their own version of the "bigotry of low expectations" with regard to same-sex couples. If you ignore the molestation crimes of this couple for fear that all couples would be falsely labeled, you're inferring validity onto the argument in the first place.
If journalism is about the truth and investigative journalism is about uncovering important criminal behavior that deserves a spotlight, then the race, religion, or sexual identity of the alleged perpetrators is irrelevant.
If a journalistic entity ignores a horrific crime like this because of the protected class category of the suspects, they're no longer a journalistic endeavor. They're propagandists.
Is this entire column merely a subtle way to promote the important, fearless and vital journalism done by Townhall reporters like Mia Cathell? No... it's not meant to be subtle at all.
This column is meant to scream from the highest rooftops that our coverage of this story is exactly why we at Townhall show up every day to work and why your VIP support makes it all worthwhile.
I am not angry or bitter toward the rest of the media landscape for ignoring this story and allowing Townhall to have the exclusive. I'm grateful. Their negligence and incompetence are why you click here every day and why you've honored us with your VIP support.
Thank you, media hacks! And thank YOU for your ongoing support.
