"Conservative" Arizona couple gets judge to gag gay SF blogger

As always, good, balanced reporting from Lauren Smiley.

I'm deeply disturbed to hear that Beecher's car was smeared with anti-gay hate graffiti.
I did not know about this~~that this happened before I started blogging shows that I'm not the cause of this.
Beecher needs to get the hell out of that mean spirited, anti-gay town he's living in.

As far as the claims that my story isn't true, I invite readers to check out this post from my blog:
http://www.davidsopenforum.blogspot.com/2008/07/kathryn-rock-stephen-polich-documenting.html

At this post you can see actual, visual and indisputable proof of the mail tampering that went on in that household. This was done behind Beecher's back, and Beecher was lied to every step of the way.
These documents were part of the reason the first, bogus restraining order was thrown out.

It's outrageous that I was subjected to threats, taunts and abuse for doing nothing more than forwarding Beecher's mail to him.
Kathryn should be ashamed of herself, as should Beecher's siblings, who told me that they knew Kathryn had caused all these problems
deliberately.
By their own admission, his siblings don't care.
They have also lied to him.

Beecher was present at that first Order of Protection court hearing.
Judge Chris Mueller of the Hassayampa Justice Court in Arizona could plainly see what Kathryn was doing when he threw out that first Order~~this is a matter of public record.

Beecher, due to his disabilities, remains clueless, and that's what Kathryn uses to get what she wants.

In order to make sure that such things don't continue happening to me or to others, this kind of hate must be publicly exposed and condemned.

This horror story stands as a stunning example as to why Marriage Equality is needed in all 50 states.

I think what David Nahmod says should be taken with many grains of salt. In one post on his blog, http://davidsopenforum.blogspot.com/2008/08/on-fessing-up-recalling-my-first.html , David actually admits to having stalked and terrorized the Oscar-nominated soap opera actress Grayson Hall repeatedly for ten years. He claims to have harassed her by telephone endlessly for ten years. Sadly he did this during her final years on earth and even when she was dying of cancer, even after her family begged him to stop!

He has done this to other less famous people.

In some of the endless posts about this saga on his blog he claims the woman Rock somehow caused Beecher to suffer severe, debilitating headaches, in order to turn him against him. That is delusional! How can a person magically make someone suffer headaches? I am sure the military would be interested in learning whatever psychic or telekinetic powers she must have to accomplish such a feat. If the woman Rock was so powerful, why couldn't she use her powers to silence David?

Reading David's blog tonight, he comes across as a nice guy who is coming to terms with his mental illness (which he openly discusses in several posts). But he also comes across as a guy who cannot get over the fact his ex dumped him. He is obviously persecuting these poor people with his wild allegations of brainwashing and psychically-inflicted physical pain. Sadly he does not realize how utterly ridiculous his accusations on the blog make him sound. Reading his blog, I think his victims in Arizona definitely deserve a restraining order! As a proud and out gay man, I am also saddened that he has to try and make his being dumped into an issue of gay rights, gay persecution, and homophobia--when clearly, from reading his own account, it is far from that.

Mr. Reeves, who does not know me, is entitled to his opinion.

His opinion does not change the fact that my blog has a number of comments posted by Beecher Goodwin's own cousin, and two friends of his, all of whom agree with much of what I have to say.
These are people who know both of us. They've seen my documentation, and they know that I'm telling the truth.

Yes, I use my blog to speak quite openly of my battle with manic depression, which includes the soap opera story that Mr. Reeves points out.
Mr. Reeves fails to mention that this episode took place decades ago, before I was diagnosed & treated.
I no longer have such episodes.

Beecher is also a manic depressive.
He's had his own manic episodes.

What was done to Beecher & I by his friend Kathryn, who used~~and uses~~both our illnesses as a tool to enrage us against each other,
stands as one of the many examples as to why mental illness must never go untreated.
My soap opera story is another.

I invite Mr. Reeves to take a good look at the Documenting The Lies post that I refer to in my first comment.
The proof that Kathryn tampered with Beecher's mail and lied about it is there for all to see.
My illness, and Beecher's, cannot negate the truth of what she did.

I thank Mr. Reeves for challenging me.
Challenging me is a good thing, it invites dialogue.

More documentation of Kathryn's actions will be posted at my blog.
I hope Mr. Reeves will post challenging questions in my Comments section.

While I can only get one side of the story...David's. I do have to say that his evidence is compelling enough for me to believe that there may be something unhealthy going on in my cousin's household. When I speak with him, he does seem lucid enough...but his apparent confusion at his own PFA hearing concerns me. I do not pass judgment on the couple that he lives with, because quite frankly...it is not my job. If David's allegations are totally false, then I encourage Kathryn and Stephen to blog and document THEIR side. Beyond that...I take the stance that I will let the courts deal with this. Judges are paid to find the truth in these situations. David is aware of my view and respects that I will only interfere so much.

As for bringing up David's horrible past actions....let's not judge someone on their actions from decades ago. Let's allow that people grow and learn. Let's believe the best about a person until they've proven the worst. By opening up about his actions, he's letting others who are manic know....1) they are not alone in their bizzare, manic episodes, and 2) everyone has the ability to change themselves and their negative behavior.

He who lives in glass houses.........we all have something we've done that we are ashamed of. After all, not every human can be a saint.

When I first heard David's story, I found it upsetting, bizarre, even surreal....I have personally seen the evidence and the story IS real.
I don't believe the story of David and Beecher is a "gay" issue, per se.....Beecher has bi-polar disorder, dyslexia and he is functionally illitarate. For a person in his situation to be so cruelly taken advantage of brings up, at the very least, strong ethical issues. He was intimidated into signing a restraining order against his ex-lover, without knowing the contents of that order; I heard the transcript of David's hearing when he challenged the order....Beecher was confused and genuinely surprised when he learned that the restraining order accused David of being "dangerous".
Under the unusual circumstances of this case, can Beecher really make an informed choice? If anyone in the therapeutic community would care to comment, I'm sure it would be most enlightening.
To the readership of Lauren Smiley's fine story I ask, if David and Beecher had been legally married, would this story be different? Let's especially here from some legal minds here.
Lastly, in this era where our Constitutional rights have endured an unprecedented assault from those "elected" to defend it, what does this latest restraining order say about the current state of our society? Does the judge have a right to issue a restraining order against David Nahmod when what he posted on his blog has been indisputably and provably true? A matter of public record, in fact?

i spoke to beecher on the phone a couple of times and have seen the documentation and i am convinced there is brain washing going on with beecher and he needs to get away from kathryn and get the help he needs.

Actually, I do "know" David Nahmod. He harassed me as recently as three years ago in San Francisco. I have talked to other people who know him in the Dark Shadows fan community, after learning of his obsessive involvement, and I have been told by people in fear that he has done the same thing to many others, by telephone and by sending obscene letters. Whether he has changed or not, I can't say. But his harassing activities were not just limited to a sick, dying woman, nor were they decades old.

There were many other victims.

What David Nahmod is doing now, to the woman Rock and her lover, as well as his own ex, is the same thing he did to Oscar-nominated actress Grayson Hall and other victims. Now instead of terrorizing them on the phone, he harasses them with his computer. Has anyone gone and looked how many times he has dirtied the woman Rock's name alongside his ridiculous, near deranged allegations?

David, you may have changed in some ways since being diagnosed, but what you are doing to your ex and his housemates is the same thing you did to Grayson Hall and your other victims. Now it is just another form of harassment.

I personally fear David Nahmod and what he is capable of doing to someone. I am not surprised Beecher wanted to escape him, or that others have to resort to restraining orders to protect themselves against his abuse.

I have read every word David posted on his blog. His ludicrous "documentation" is only two letters returned to him. One bears the woman Rock's address label sticker. She may have accidentally opened the letter on her own and simply returned it when she realized who it was from. I know I have done that many times with mail. Maybe the woman Rock even read it to Beecher before she returned it? That is her perogative. Given what David has done to others in the past, I think it is a good idea to avoid any communications with a potentially dangerous individual.

As far as the **ONLY** other physical documentation David Nahmod has for this entire bizarre tale, it is a letter that has return to sender on it. Is that a crime? That is printed on the enveloped by a POSTAL STAMP, so it may be that the post office THOUGHT Beecher didn't live there and send it back on their own. I know personally that if I want to return something to the send, I have to actually WRITE return to sender on it before the post office will even accept it. Where is it written on there by ANYONE that it must be returned to sender?

David Nahmod also claims the woman Rock prepared a document for Beecher to sign a document asking David to leave him alone. But David also says repeatedly that his ex-lover is illiterate. How can he write such a thing if he is illiterate? Is not the woman Rock capable of helping an illiterate man write a document asking to be left alone? Can Beecher not want to be left alone from David Nahmod? Knowing what I do about David Nahmod from my own unfortunate run-in with him to what I have read and heard he did to others, I am not surprised Beecher would want to get away from him and if he truly is illiterate, seek help in doing so?

David Nahmod's evidence is...well, non-existent. That any serious news organization would take him seriously is shocking. I see that they are cautious of taking his claims TOO seriously, calling him a "gadfly" and not naming David's harassment victims, though David of course has made sure to smear their names on this page.

I suspect this "Alfonso Chinea," the freelance journalist who David wrote about on his blog as being someone who will make sure is story gets told, and who responded below simply as "Alfonoso," is actually a pen name for David Nahmod himself. There are only seven mentions of Alfonso that come up on google! Precious little for an established writer! David, like Alfonso, is also a screenwriter and published freelance journalist. You do the math!

So, Mr. Reeves, I harrassed you 3 years ago here in SF?
You're full of shit.
I don't know anyone by your name, nor do I know
anyone in Portland Oregon.

Reeves' second comment is a lot like numerous "Comments" sent to my blog~~and to the Lavender Liberal news blog~~by a variety of screen names (Freebird, All Things Fair & Beautiful, Ashley Marie) all of whom make the same comments.

The Lavender Liberal people have already traced all the "comments" they got to Arizona.

Kathryn, show a little guts and sign your own name to your lies.

Alfonso, I'll see you at the Castro Theatre tonight.

Oh, and BTW, can the webmaster here please trace
Reeves' comments and let us know if they do indeed come from Arizona?
No name or address needed, just the state will do!

Whenever anyone confronts you about your allegations and behavior, you react by accusing them of being the woman Rock? What a way to silence the truth!

People know what you did, David, to your victims--and to the woman Rock and her heterosexual lover! Many people! Others may be afraid to speak up to you for fear of whatever sick retribution you may seek out on them. You can be nice when you want to, David, but you can also be very dangerous, vindictive, and threatening.

I hope the woman Rock and her lover print out your blog and the comments here and let Judge Gerald Williams read ALL about this. His honor will surely grant the restraining order then. The truth will be heard, and the truth is not this sick nonsense that you spew.

I have nothing else to say here.

As one of the subjects of Smiley's story, I'd like to respectfully ask people~~my friends included~~not to respond to Reeves' comments
beyond this post.
Whether Reeves is or isn't Kathryn doesn't matter.
Reeves is clearly a troll looking to be disruptive.The SF Weekly is a fine, widely read and serious publication.
Lauren Smiley is a superb reporter.
This story would not have been published had the paper not seen all my documentation.

Let's respect the paper's integrity by not engaging in a flame war.
Thanks.

I can't help but comment here. Flame war? Is that how you attempt to stifle strong opposition to your juvenile claims?

Documentation? The ONLY documentation you have is two envelopes-assuming they are legit, which I will do-one sent to you from the woman Rock, and another that the post office stamped "Return to Sender" that was NOT even from you! You speak on and on, endlessly, about documentation on your blog and here. Where is this elusive documentation? Those two pieces of mail, Mr. Nahmod, do NOT constitute documentation for your bizarre claims.

Where is the documentation that the woman Rock "brainwashed" Beecher? How is this even possible? Where did she learn this skill?

Where is the documentation that the woman Rock somehow induced severe, debilitating headaches in Beecher, in a deliberate effort to turn him against you? You go on about that at length on your blog, yet you present no evidence to support such a fanciful claim. Most people would assert that it is not humanely possible to somehow psychically induce a headache in someone through....what, sheer force of thought? Documentation, where?

Those seem to be two of your primary arguments, but you provide no documentation at all, and when questioned about it, you insist that I do not exist, or that I am the woman Rock, and then you instruct others to ignore me. I am afraid that is not going to hide the truth, David. Where is the smoking gun, David? Does it exist?!? Those two pieces of mail mean nothing.

Maybe the woman Rock and her lover tried to talk Beecher into breaking up with you. That is their right, if they felt you were a danger to Beecher, or simply that you were bad for him for WHATEVER reason. Even if they did do such a thing, there is nothing wrong with it. It has nothing to do with sexual orientation either. Straight people break other straight people out of destructive relationships, ALL the time. Yet...on your blog you claim to have called and spoke at length with law enforcement agencies in Arizona and threatened to contact lawmakers NATION-WIDE in an effort to make such activity illegal! I am sorry, you seem like a nice guy in some ways...but, such statements show someone who is need of counseling, I am afraid to say.

Even if Beecher was married to you, he could have divorced or left you. There has been NO evidence presented that in any way shows that the woman Rock and her lover have somehow conspired to "brainwash" and manipulate Beecher. If you have actual evidence, please show it, or quit wasting the SF Weekly's time with your hysterical rants. You are right--it is reputable paper, and it shouldn't concern itself with your tawdry, unfounded claims.

And, although I may be mistaken, I very much doubt Beecher is the mentally incapacitated invalid you make him out to be, so easily controlled by a "conservative" couple--so conservative they invite an openly gay man to live with them. I am sure Beecher is quite capable of making his mind up about you--with or without help from others.

I have to agree that I don't feel that Beecher is as mentally incapacitated as David seems to believe he is. And, I've stated this many times. I've told him that Beecher needs to come to these conclusions on his own terms and only then can he get whatever treatment/solution that he feel is needed. I've also told David that if I truly believe Beecher was in any sort of danger, I would do more than I am.

I also don't believe this is a gay issue...and I've stated as such to David. Marriage is a moot point here. Even if there was a marriage....this "incident" could still happen.

The point here is that David feels there's something going on. David is pursuing it. Has he bordered on obsession...absolutely. And I was one of the first that told him to move on. Has he shown "stalking" behavior...absolutely. I only just recently gave him my new information because he was that way with me...calling all the time, sending me unsolicited mail. I would not have given him my new information had I not felt he changed. I'm very careful (and some friends would say too careful) about what reaches my home environment and children. And I feel I've been very successful in setting those boundaries in this situation.

Kathryn, Stephen and Beecher....if you are reading this....please know that I am first and foremost Beecher's cousin and on his side. However, I do feel he's not getting the best medical/mental care that he could be getting...and that's from experience dealing with my own mother's mental health issues. And, furthermore...I miss BEECHER!!! He was an important part of mine and my children's lives when he lived in CT. My mother and him were extremely close growing up. Anytime Beecher wants to come and visit me in the good old state of Maine, I would love it! I live on the water. I live on a quiet road less than a mile from major businesses.

Hi Velma.
Next to Beecher's late mother, you are the best person I met in his hometown.

RE: your comments: some truth there.
But that truth ended the day I began my bipolar treatment.

But let's tell the whole story.
Why, when mail addressed to Beecher Goodwin
showed up in my mailbox, mail from his life insurance company, and letters from old hometown friends of his,
why was I told by Beecher's housemates not to forward these items to him?
Yes, I have this from them in writing~~this is yet to be posted at my blog, but it will be.

When I told Beecher's siblings about the mail I was trying to forward, why did they respond by babbling about Jesus?
Why did the siblings~~and the housemates~~REFUSE to tell him the truth about what I was trying to send him?
Why was Beecher told that I was writing him letters about getting back together, when this was simply not true?

Why, when a mutual friend of ours, Joe, finally got through to him after 18 months of this shit, did Beecher contact me at once and ask for his mail?
His handwritten note, which said, "Yes, I do need to get my mail" contradicts the lies I was told by his siblings and housemates.
Why were these lies told?

What was their reason for causing all this trouble between Beecher & I?
(And I still have Beecher's handwritten note. It will also be posted at my blog in the near future.)

Right before & right after the mail tampering began, I tried to walk away from Beecher & everyone he knew.
I had stopped trying to get back together with him.
I had stopped trying to contact him in any way.
But his hate filled friends and siblings, they didn't stop.

In Oct. 2007, I was pushed too far.
I was not contacting Beecher, his housemates, or anyone in his family.
I was trying to forget him.
It was then that I was served with an unprovoked restraining order.
The order stated that I was a "physical danger" to Beecher, his kids, and a whole lot of other people.
I went to court to fight this, as I didn't want something like this about me on record.

Velma, you now have a copy of the audio transcript of that hearing.
You got this from me.
You heard how confused and clueless Beecher was at that hearing.
You heard that Beecher DID NOT KNOW the Court
Petition said I was a physical danger when he signed it.
That's the main reason Judge Chris Mueller threw the Order out.

As with the mail tampering, I asked Why?
Why are they doing this?
Why won't they stop?

And those "whys" are the reason I take this stand.

Gay marriage would have helped us.
There would have been a divorce hearing.
At the hearing, all these lies would have been revealed to the Judge.
Under such conditions, I coul have askd for a stay in the divorce and for the counselling that might have saved us.

Both Beecher & I have been diagnosed with varying degrees of mental illness.
Without those illnesses, this could not have been done to us.

And so, I take this stand to let others know what happened to us.
So that it can't happen to others in the future.

this is the joe that david mentions in his last comment. im just confirming that i did speak with beecher as mentioned and he did seem clueless and unaware about the mail he wasnt receiving and didnt seem to know that important mail was being returned.

On David Nahmod's blog, he uses two of the following labels to describe this article: Anti-gay hate, homophobia (http://davidsopenforum.blogspot.com/2008/08/david-and-beecher-meet-lauren-smiley.html)

I agree with those who have said this is not an issue of gay hate or gay anything, but David in his own mind somehow thinks it is and is trying to make it partly an issue of gay hate (as well as many other things). How is this anti-gay hate? Who knows--who really does! No normal person would call it that, but I guess, essentially, if someone doesn't care for David, it is automatically gay hate and homophobia?
That is apparently what David would like for his readers to believe. Unfortunately, not all his readers are so naive an dimwitted to take all his fanciful claims at face value.

I do NOT think David Nahmod is a danger to Velma or her family. As i have said, I am sure he can be very nice when he wants to be. However, if David thinks you are against him or he gets it in his mind to go after you, he WILL savagely do everything in his power to disrupt your life. And that is just not in the past, because he is doing the same thing to the Woman Rock and her lover. And yes, Velma, he does have a stalker mentality, so it is scary the kinds of things he comes up with.

It is telling that David Nahmod is unwilling to provide any evidence for his fanciful claims, after I presented my analysis of his current two pieces of "evidence," demonstrating that they amount to...well, nothing.

I would also like to challenge Mr. Nahmod to point out how the woman Rock sending one letter back to him is mail tampering? (The other letter used as "evidence" was not eveb from David and shows no indication of being opened, and merely has "Return to sender" stamped on it by the Post Office.) Where is the documentation that Beecher did not want the letter sent back? Where is the documentation the letter was tampered with? Mailing a letter back to someone does not make mail tampering.

To the habitual flamer....methinks thou doth protest too much....
Beecher's situation remains highly suspect; he used to be very close not only yo his ex, David, but to his own two sons, his cousin Velma, and other friends and relatives. For him to just remove these important people from his life for no good reason is NOT, by all accounts, like him. His behavior is similar to that of someone who has joined a cult.
He is functionally illiterate, that means he does not read well, certainly not with adult comprehension. Still, he CAN read. What he can't read, others can read to him. And he is legally entitled to his mail. In fact, the right to receive one's own mail is protected by Federal law.
A psychiatric evaluation is in order for Beecher. And, perhaps, for Ms Rock as well; her sanity seems highly suspect. The sort of ruthless behavior she has exhibited, with seemingly no regard for Beecher, her husband or her children, indicates a person wioh a tenuous hold on reality...at best.

On David Nahmod's blog, he uses two of the following labels to describe this article: Anti-gay hate, homophobia (http://davidsopenforum.blogspot.com/2008/08/david-and-beecher-meet-lauren-smiley.html)

I agree with those who have said this is not an issue of gay hate or gay anything, but David in his own mind somehow thinks it is and is trying to make it partly an issue of gay hate (as well as many other things). How is this anti-gay hate? Who knows--who really does! No normal person would call it that, but I guess, essentially, if someone doesn't care for David, it is automatically gay hate and homophobia?
That is apparently what David would like for his readers to believe. Unfortunately, not all his readers are so naive an dimwitted to take all his fanciful claims at face value.

I do NOT think David Nahmod is a danger to Velma or her family. As i have said, I am sure he can be very nice when he wants to be. However, if David thinks you are against him or he gets it in his mind to go after you, he WILL savagely do everything in his power to disrupt your life. And that is just not in the past, because he is doing the same thing to the Woman Rock and her lover. And yes, Velma, he does have a stalker mentality, so it is scary the kinds of things he comes up with.

It is telling that David Nahmod is unwilling to provide any evidence for his fanciful claims, after I presented my analysis of his current two pieces of "evidence," demonstrating that they amount to...well, nothing.

I would also like to challenge Mr. Nahmod to point out how the woman Rock sending one letter back to him is mail tampering? (The other letter used as "evidence" was not eveb from David and shows no indication of being opened, and merely has "Return to sender" stamped on it by the Post Office.) Where is the documentation that Beecher did not want the letter sent back? Where is the documentation the letter was tampered with? Mailing a letter back to someone does not make mail tampering.

Thanks, Joe.
I've been told that Alfonso, who heard the tape of the first court hearing, will shortly be offering further commentary on what he heard.

I've also done a little Googling.
Lauren Smiley's story, and the accompanying
comments, have been linked to two websites.

Velma, with all due respect to you, I point out the following:
Beecher Goodwin is living in the home of a woman who thinks it's OK to deliberately
provoke all this trouble.
Kathryn interfered in the delivery of Beecher's mail.
She used his disabilities to get him to sign a falsified court petition~~this could have gotten Beecher into some legal trouble.
Then there's the anti-gay hate speech that was left on Beecher's car, as reported by Lauren Smiley.

Velma, this is not a safe environment for anyone to live in.

RE: my claims regarding that court hearing:
This is a matter of public record.
It's case # CC2007 2031 68000 at the Hassayampa Justice Court in Arizona.
The court's phone # is (602) 372-2000

Thanks, Joe.

I feel I have to point out this:
Beecher is living in the home of a woman who feels it's OK to deliberately provoke all this troube.
Kathryn has tampered with his mail.
Kathryn used Beecher's disabilities to get him to sign a falsified court document~~he could have gotten into legal trouble for this.

Then there's the anti-gay taunts sprayed onto Beecher's car, as reported by Lauren Smiley.

Velma, with all respect due to you, this is not a safe environment for anyone to live in.
And Beecher will not figure this out if everyone keeps the truth from him.

RE: my claims regarding that court document:
This is a matter of public record.
It's case # CC2007 2031 68000 at the Hassayampa Justice Court in Arizona.
The court's phone # is:
(602) 372-2000

LIE: "I feel I have to point out this: Beecher is living in the home of a woman who feels it's OK to deliberately provoke all this troube."
REALITY: It seems you are the one provoking trouble, because she allegedly returned one piece of mail from you. Since then you have accused the woman Rock of mail tampering, brainwashing, psychically inflicting headaches on others, written numerous hate-filled posts, contacted Arizona law enforcement, and threatened to contact lawmakers nation-wide about her. Seems a tad over the top; it is understandable why she would want a restraining order after all that trouble you have provoked.

LIE: "Kathryn has tampered with his mail."
REALITY: How is returning one piece of mail tampering with his mail? How do you know she didn't sit the "functionally illiterate" Beacher on her lap and read it to him before she returned it?

LIE: "Kathryn used Beecher's disabilities to get him to sign a falsified court document~~he could have gotten into legal trouble for this."
REALITY: If Beacher is "functionally illiterate," how is he going to be able to prepare a document? There is no crime in having someone assist him in putting his complaint into writing. He may not have dictated it to her word for word, but it represented his desire to get a restraining order against you. After all, he did show up at the trial, did he not? Did he not know it was a trial to get a restraining against you? Was he under mind control from the woman Rock at that time? Come on!

DAVID: "Then there's the anti-gay taunts sprayed onto Beecher's car, as reported by Lauren Smiley."
REALITY: That can happen anywhere in the world--even in SF.

LIE: "Velma, with all respect due to you, this is not a safe environment for anyone to live in. And Beecher will not figure this out if everyone keeps the truth from him."
REALITY: Living with two supportive, mature, non-mentally ill adults seems to be VERY safe to me. After all, he survived years living with a man who admits to routinely harassing others, such as Oscar-nominated actress Grayson Hall.

David, you can't have it both ways. Either Beacher is an adult capable of forming his own decisions about his life (including NOT living with you, not accepting your mail, filing a restraining order against you), OR...he is a mentally incapacitated and handicapped man, unable to think for himself. In that case, he does not have the legal ability to consent to sex, and that would thus make you a rapist. Which is it? Is Beacher a competent adult capable of making his own choices, or are you a rapist?

You know, Velma & Alfonso do make some good points about this not being an exclusively gay issue.
Certainly a number of gay rights and marriage equality questions are raised by this story.

But several mental health issues are being raised here as well~~these issues do indeed apply to all people, gay or not.

I feel I have to make something abundantly clear here...I'm not here to neither defend nor offend anyone...besides Beecher. Beecher has not removed me from his life. No, I do not talk to him as much as I would like to. But, I live an extremely busy life juggling work, teenage children, an ill parent who lives with me, home life, an 18 year marriage, and volunteer responsibilities.

I am not defending what David's doing...I see what David is doing as a way to get some important mental health issues out into the open. I cannot say with 100% certainty that David is correct in his assessment. Nor do I want that burden. Let's not forget that the main issue here...from the "big picture"...is that mentally ill people suffer from those taking advantage of them EVERY DAY. And, I'm not talking about Beecher here. I'm talking about the thousands of mentally ill patients being taken advantage of every day. Those who's stewards play with their finances, mail, social interaction. And, those who have medications shoved down their throats through "forced medical therapy."

I feel that David's blog can be a beginning to a dialogue to discuss these issues. Not gay rights or marriage equality...which in themselves are important issues but need a different vehicle. I listen and watch because of mental health issues and the rights of those who suffer from mental health issues.

So, if this comment section continues to be about who's right and who's wrong....I'll cease to comment. I have no desire to play in this sandbox any further.

Velma:
RIGHT ON!

My intent is to use the story of what happened to Beecher & I as the springboard for a discussion on mental health.
On the need for proper treatment & for the civil rights of the mentally ill.

The fact that Beecher & I are both mentally ill enabled Kathryn to destroy our relationship.
Kathryn's own behavior shows how sick she is.
These are powerful arguments for the points I want to make.

There are other stories that make this point:
like the story of my run ins with actress Grayson Hall and her family: that's why I wrote about that so openly at my blog.

Here in San Francisco, the GLBT community treats mental illness like a lifestyle choice. I knew a bipolar lesbian here in town who refuses to treat her disease under the guise of "empowering herself." According to her, everyone should put up with her manic outbursts~~which include throwing dishes at people~~out of "compassion & respect for women"!!!
She gets a lot of support within the community for this, and this must also be addressed.

It's the posts of "Reeves", who we all know is really Beecher's housemate Kathryn, who got this thread off track.
I hope everyone here will ignore future
Reeves posts and steer comments in the direction of what Velma so eloquently calls for.

Velma, please call the woman Rock and ask her whether or not I am her. I am a 43 year old, gay man, one who has been humiliated and harassed by David in the past. Own up to what you did; don't be a coward. He would like for us to believe that anyone with any intelligence who can see that David is still harassing people (the woman Rock, her lover, and Beecher), automatically has to be his adversary Rock?

I also agree David's web site could be a good vehicle for mental health issues, but not for gay or marriage equality issues, as David seems entirely unfit for either, due to his bizarre behavior and history of stalking/harassing others. Having him advocate for such things does more harm than good, as he makes the community look bad.

I do NOT think there are any civil rights issues to be raised from the Beecher-David love affair. I do not see how Kathryn Rock used mental illness to manipulate Beecher--that has NOT been proven. But I think if David stops this nonsense about being persecuted by Kathryn Rock (whether through mind control, brainwashing, drugging, whatever else), and focuses on actual mental health things, that would be great. More posts along the lines of the Grayson Hall story or things that may come from the experiences of others and not his own life. But the Rock-Beecher-David triangle does not seem to show a call for mental health rights...only perhaps as an indication that David has sadly confused the issues and still needs further treatment.

I did want whoever sees this thread to know that the SF Weekly had some technical delays yesterday in posting comments, which is why 2 comments got posted twice.

I'm hoping the repeat posts will be deleted.

As David Nahmod's colorful, bizarre tale of brainwashing and mind control crumbles in the many comments of this recent news article, the increasingly hostile gadfly refuses to respond to any of the serious challenges made to his so-called "evidence," challenges that reveal how flimsy and meaningless his "evidence" truly is. It has become abundantly clear to readers of this fine publication that what Mr. Nahmod has claimed is simply not supported by any facts.

But his woeful tale of persecution is not what made this story make the press. His strange account has been published ONLY because of the censorship issue at hand. It is significant ONLY because Nahmod was ordered via restraining order not to name victim Kathryn Rock and her love on the interwebs. That is an assault on his freedom of speech, an assault on the Constitution of the United States of America.

Whether or not Nahmod's claims have any merit, or he is just a confused and troubled soul ranting to anyone who will give him the time of day, is irrelevant. What is significant is his right to freedom of speech--even to name people he believes have persecuted him.

Gay persecution, brainwashing, etc. is why his story has made it to a print publication. I did not realize this at first. I confused the issues and thought it was published because of his bizarre claims. And while I might not have thought this way initially, I think that Nahmod most definitely DOES have a right to name his adversaries by name (Beecher Goodwin, Stephen Polich and Kathryn Rock), so long as they are not done via messages directed towards his victims. If they are in the third person and not directed to his alleged victims, then Nahmod should be able to write whatever he wants about them--even his bizarre allegations--regardless of the truth or lack thereof. If his statements are untrue, Kathryn Rock is legally able to sue for libel, but I do think Nahmod has a constitutional right to make his claims. Tabloids have the right to name Britney Spears and Paris Hilton in all sorts of wild, strange tales. If what the tabloids print is false, the wronged individuals have a right to sue for libel and collect compensation. The publications cannot be barred from printing their names, and Nahmod shouldn't be either.

Make no mistake--I believe very little about what David Nahmod claims. I believe his mental illness makes him vulnerable to thinking things that normal people might not otherwise. I realize he unfortunately believes in his tales of persecution. But let's not take away Nahmod's freedom of speech, as much as some may want that. We do not live in a police state, and it is his right as an American citizen to say whatever deranged things he wants, as long as he does not threaten or harass someone directly by doing so, and if his victims wish to seek legal remedy for whatever falsehoods he may print, they can sue for damages.

Erase hate!

I wish I could redact some of my comments. "Gay persecution, brainwashing, etc. is why his story has made it to a print publication."

...should read...

"Gay persecution, brainwashing, etc. is NOT why his story has made it to a print publication."

Simple typo...changes the meaning of what I tried to convey in writing.

Here's what mental illness looks like:
around 1975~~yes, 1975~~this didn't happen last week~~ I got the home phone number to the late actress Grayson Hall.
Hall was a major player on Dark Shadows, then, as now, my favorite TV show.

I called Hall repeatedly, sometimes breathing, sometimes just hanging up.
I did this because I'm a manic depressive, and that was my first serious episode.

I was around 19 when this began, though I'd had minor episodes before this.

I did this on and off for years, both to Hall and to 1970s porn queen Georgina Spelvin.
I also did this one day~~and only one day~~to Beecher's cousin Velma.
The same Velma who now posts here and at my blog.

When I went into manic mode, I had no idea what I was doing, though I remembered my actions after the fact.

I'm now on meds and no longer having such episodes.
These days, I couldn't even force myself to behave that way.
Though Hall has passed on, I long ago made ammends to Georgina Spelvin and to Velma.
Both are now friends.

I had lunch with Spelvin only three weeks ago, when my writing work took me down to Los Angeles
for a few interviews.

I hope that in sharing stories like these, here and at my blog, I can impart upon others the importance of getting all mental illnesses properly treated.

Among my role models in being so candid are the Oscar winning actress Patty Duke, and the psychiatrist Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison.
In Duke's memoir, Call Me Anna, she writes candidly of her own manic episodes, and how she found her path to healing and wellness.
Dr. Jamison is also a manic depressive. Her book, An Unquiet Mind, is a riveting
account of her battle. The repeated, snide posts by "Reeves" are also what mental illness looks like.
Acting obssesively, over and over, unable to stop, that's what I did, back in the day.
It's what Reeves has been doing since this story was published.

These illnesses are not curable, but they are treatable.
No one need to live with such symptoms.

Mental illness is the series of 24 posts on David's Open
Forum, chronicling your belief that Stephen Polich and Kathryn Rock conspired to turn Beecher Goodwin against you with brainwashing. It is not trying to protect the names of two good, honest people who have been subjected to taunts and abuse by you.

It certainly sounds like you have made some progress in dealing with your mental health, and you definitely deserve congratulations for that. You sound like you have improved some since the NJ days. But what you are doing to them now...David, it is still the same thing. Now instead of deep breathing or obscenities shouted into a phone, it is attacks (veiled and direct) on the Internet.

Rock and Polich deserve a voice, and I am that voice. They have suffered through enough of your taunts. Can you not see how you are still lashing out at others? I have tried to make this point to you previously, but you ignored me. Please let those people live in peace. San Francisco is such a great city. Why spend all this time and energy complaining about Rock and Polich? Why not go out and smell the roses and find another man to befriend?

Yes, David did his heavy breathing number on me a couple of times. He's a very good heavy breather, btw. And I've heard quite a few. We've become close friends, and I support his crusade 100%

Oh yes, David did had his fun with me. Phone calls at all hours with deep breathing and obscenities shouted. I cried and begged for him to stop, but no. My family pleaded with him to stop a few times during those 10 years of terror, but no.

It sure was nice to get those calls when I was sick with cancer. Helped make me remember someone still "cared." That David is such a doll.

Now that I am deceased, I sure do miss his deep breathing and obscenities. Miss being woken up in the middle of the night or early morning. Miss having my husband and son upset by his taunts. That David is SUCH a doll.

Hey There, Georgie Girl:
THANKS!
And please, readers, be sure to check out The Devil Made Me Do It, Georgina Spelvin's wonderfully witty, moving autobiography about her journey from Broadway chorus girl to adult film star.
It's in book stores, and at www.Amazon.com.
Autographed copies can be purchased through the
author's website:
www.GeorginasWorld.com

Now, check out my blog:
www.DavidsOpenForum.Blogspot.com
My latest post, This Is What Mental Illness Looks Like, offers more visual documentation
of my claims.
This was posted today: 8/23/08

It shouldn't be too long before we hear from Kath....uh, I mean Mr. Reeves again!

David,
If you are gonna write lies, get my name right: Q. T. Reeves. I wrote T.Q. once, but it was a typo.

I am not Kathryn Rock! How dare you say that. HOW DARE YOU! Do I need to contact Judge Williams and have you thrown in jail?

The person in comment #32 is an imposter.
I am the real Grayson Hall.
I'm alive and well, I've been living on a South Sea Island with Elvis & JFK.

Please refrain from impersonating me in the future.
Thank you.

hi I was told about this site by a coworker. I am a 37 y/o gay man. i have to tell you about my experiences with David Nahmod. In April of this year I asked David to be a minister at my wedding to my future husband after being told about him by a coworker who s gay, and David said he wanted to meet with us first to consel us, so we met with him. David was VERY flirty with my fiance who is 27 and kept touching his legs really over doing it. i felt uncomfortable and decided to leave because he was so unprofessional. David then hugged my fiance! i told him to STOP. david started to cry and told me i was so lucky to have such a good man! later the next day i called to david to complain and told him i thought he was inappropriate. the next day i came home from work and my fiance told me david had left a sexually graphic message on the machine! what kind of minister does that? david is in his 50s! he should be banned from the church.

RE: comment #36:
Looks like Kathryn's back, LOL!

yes welcome back Kathryn. I know of 1 couple that would be honored to have david perform their wedding ceremony!

Thanks, Jay Tee.
Mr. Rhodes is most likely Kathryn, but "he" could be someone else who knows me.
Everyone who knows me that I'm a licensed Justice of the Peace who can perform legal weddings.
But throw me out of church?
Which church should a nice Jewish boy like me go to, LOL?

RE: Reeves/Rhodes.
What sad trolls they are.
Most trolls are funny~~I thought the two Grayson
Hall posts were hilarious!
But Reeves/Rhodes have no wit, no humor, and no common sense either!

In any event, I've sent Judge Gerald Williams print outs
of the Reeves posts, the abusive taunts sent to my blog, a nasty email sent to me that was signed by Kathryn's husband (I suspect that SHE sent that email behind her hubby's back)
and a CD recording of the court hearing mentioned earlier in this thread.

The Judge's response should be interesting!

David, how is a woman complaining that you TORMENTED her with harassment when she was DYING of cancer funny--or, "hilarious," as you say?

What you did to Grayson...is not funny!

You need help.

Karen:
what I did to Grayson Hall was horrible.
I stated so on my blog.
That post:
"On Fessing Up, Recalling My First Manic Episode", ends with the words:
"Regret is a real bitch."

There, as here, I explained that my then untreated manic depression, AKA bi-polar disorder, caused that.
I share my story so that others will understand what this disease can do, so that others who need treatment might get help.

Nothing funny about what I did to Grayson Hall.
But it was caused by an actual biological disease.

Now, the two Grayson impersonators here, in particular the one who says "she" still lives on a South Sea Island with Elvis & JFK, now that's funny!
And a number of people have told me so.

Hi, i am a 58 year old gay man. My nephew told me about this site. Last April 2008, David Nahmod came into my ice cream shop. He flirted with me and then asked me out on a date. At my age and weight i don't get many dates so I agreed. It was a huge mistake! David's idea of a romantic dinner was a trip to McDonald's where he made me pay for my own meal! I could hardly get a word in. He was going on and on about soap operas and old movies. I was so bored and embarrassed. Then he started ranting about his ex and these people in Arizona who he accused of brainwashing. David was obviously disturbed!! David invited me back to his home for sex after our 'romantic' meal, i dont remeber what he said but it was obvious that is what he wanted, but I told him I didn't think it would be a good idea. I was so embarassed I told him to 'lose my number'!

Well, the next day I got a call at 7am from one of my employees telling me about some vandalism. There was human shit on the door mat at my ice cream parlor! I can't say for sure that David did it, but i think it is pretty obvious!

Hello.
Lord Jesus told me about this site.
I'm Kathryn in Arizona.
I thought I should speak for myself.

I just want everyone in San Francisco to know that Christ died for your sins and that you don't have to live lives of sin and depravity.

I brainwashed Beecher to save his soul.
Praise the Lord!

Judge Gerald Williams at the North Valley Justice Court in Arizona should be interested in this last post. DAVID NAHMOD IMPERSONATES KATHRYN ROCK! He violated the restraining order right there.

David has a distinctive writing style. One of the hallmarks of his writing style, as seen in dozens of posts at his web site, is that at the end of many sentences, David will hit enter/return. A paragraph will have a string of these sentences with each sentence starting on a new line. Line breaks also occur at other random places. This is very unusual, and I have never seen anyone else write is such a peculiar way. It is possible that it is from David copying and pasting from a Word Processing program. In any case, it is clearly Mr. Nahmod violating the restraining order by impersonating Kathryn Rock. I hope Judge Williams has Mr. Nahmod placed in custody.

Lucy here.
I run the psychiatric booth in Peanuts.
Charlie Brown says I've been a great help to him.
I do hope that Reeves/Rhodes/Stone/Root will stop by for a chat.
Schizophrenia is a treatable disease.

I am a psychic that specializes in hypnosis and brainwashing. In July of this month David Nahmod paid me $300 to investigate if Kathryn Rock had brainwashed Beecher Goodwin. I told him I would need something that belonged to Beecher to be able to use my powers to contact him. David handed me a jar filled with what he claims was Beecher's 'sperm', that he says he keeps in his freezer. It worked.

I took the jar and lit some candles and used my psychic powers to read Beecher's mind. No, Kathryn Rock did not brainwash Beecher, I told him. I said that Beecher doesn't love him and that Kathryn did not brainwash him at all. She even tried to make sure Beecher really wanted to break up with David before he did. I told him brainwashing was a very sacred art that few people know. I learned it from my mom. I asked him how Kathryn Rock learned it. He said he believed she was taught it by aliens! I told him aliens do not exist, but he told me he has proof they do.

David asked me if I could brainwash Beecher into loving him. I told him yes, but that I don't do that any more, and Beecher has too much Unlove in his heart for him, and that I would not feel right putting him with someone like David. David then called a "lesbian bitch," pushed me to the ground, and spit on me. I told him to leave or I would call the cops.

Hi, I knew David Nahmod for a short while when I lived on the east coast. He is crazy, and I believe the story about the 'psychic' who said he keeps Beecher's sperm in the freezer. Unfortunately, my friend Samantha also got to know David a little bit as well. It was an experience she will never forget, I imagine. David was in a severe manic state and fondled her breasts against her wishes at a party. I had to go over and slap him in the face to get him to stop. He was VERY lucky I got Samantha not to press charges. I was a TRUE friend to him that night! I saved him from being labeled a sex offender for the rest of his life. I would settle for a simple thank you!

Hello, I am the mother of David Nahmod's son. In 1984 I was at a gay bar and was very drunk. I was 22 at the time, very drunk, very dumb, and i am I met who i thought was a very pretty lady. We went back to my place, and i woke up and found out that pretty woman was a man-David Nahmod! IT WAS MY FIRST AND ONLY TIME WITH A MAN! I have no memory of it, but David got me pregnant. I could have gotten lots of child support out of him, but i had a good job, and i got a partner who also does very well. i did not want his money, not that he has any (that i know of). What i wanted was for David to be a Father to his son. Not to help raise him, but just to visit with the boy every so often. I pleaded and pleaded with him, but David refused to acknowledge the child was his. He ABANDONED his own son. That is the "man" all you people are supporting!!!!!!!