Fistgate Teachers Paid by State

Fistgate Instructor Was Paid by State

January 23, 2001

The teacher who conducted the scandal at Fistgate says she received prior approval from her supervisor, John Bynoe, at the state’s Department of Education, to do so. She was also promised on March 12 that she would receive 11 ¼ hours compensatory time for her participation at the March 25 event.

She, Margot E. Abels, says that on the Monday after the conference was held, she sent a list of the questions that had been asked by the students to her supervisors.

However, the officials at the Department of Education have maintained that she and other state employees were operating entirely on their own.

The Deputy Commission of Education, Alan Safran, said on the Jeannine Graf show last May, “There is no question that the comments of the Department of Education staff and the other consultants in those workshops go beyond the boundaries of what our staff should have done….this piece of graphic discussion is beyond the scope of what we’re about….That won’t happen again.”

Although his staff has apologized, Gov. Cellucci still refuses to even acknowledge that the scandal ever took place.

One of the parents, Brian Camenker, has repeatedly said, “I believe Abels, absolutely. She is being used as a scapegoat, there’s no question about it. For them to claim this was an isolated incident is completely disingenuous.”

Camenker says that the Governor’s office is well aware of what was happening because he has personally told them. “Bill Weld decided when he beat John Silber in that close race that he was successful only because of the help and money given to him by homosexual activists. Therefore, he repaid those activists by allowing them access to our public schools and even giving them the money to indoctrinate our kids,” Camenker said.

New Suit Seeks Reinstatement of Teacher;
More Harassment Against Parents
The revelations of Margot Abels were contained in a new lawsuit filed against whistleblowers Brian Camenker and Scott Whiteman who made public what occurred at Tufts University.

The new suit is forcing the parents to defend themselves in another court. The first suit was filed in a Boston court by state employee, Julie Netherland. The new suit has been filed in Cambridge.

“This suit is obviously not an attempt to seek justice in the case,” said Atty. Chester Darling, who represents the two parents. “It is merely an attempt by the GLSEN crowd to harass Brian Camenker and Scott Whiteman and to have them running all over the state defending themselves.

“It is also blatant forum-shopping because these people want to hold the trial in a town that has many liberals. They hope would it will be impossible for us to obtain a fair trial there. The main defendant in the case is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts whose offices are in Boston. My clients were included only to harass them even more and to give credibility to the filing of the suit in Cambridge.”

The suit seeks: 1) Reinstatement of Abels to her job, 2) damages for lost wages, 3) compensatory damages including those for emotional distress, 4) punitive damages, and 5) attorney fees.

Jeannine Graf fired for exposing Fistgate

Many upset about firing of Jeannine Graf