ST. LOUIS - Despite controversy over his ties to a gay porn producer, St. Louis attorney Mike Colona on Tuesday handily defeated four other candidates in the Democratic primary race for a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Colona, an openly gay man who represents Springfield, Ill.-based X99 Media (parent of Citiboyz Video), garnered 42 percent of the primary vote. Because he faces no Republican challenger in the general election this fall, he will be the first out man in the Missouri legislature.
Although Colona, 39, received endorsements from groups like local police officers, firefighters' and teachers' unions, the Communications Workers of America and the National Abortion and Reproduction Rights Action League, apparently he worried about his connection to porn. During the campaign, his citation as custodian of 2257 records was removed from X99's websites, and he made sure to explain his involvement with the company in palatable terms.
"A small part of my job is to ensure no minors are exploited by the pornography industry," Colona told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Some of my opponents want to mischaracterize the work I've done. Make no mistake, my work is focused on keeping kids safe."
However, according to the Post-Dispatch, Colona's work with the porn industry proved to be nothing more than "an embarrassing hindrance" in his district of Tower Grove, a segment of South St. Louis that often hosts pride events.
Missouri has two openly lesbian lawmakers: Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford (elected in 2004) and state Sen. Jolie Justus (elected in 2006). Oxford represents a portion of St. Louis, and Justus represents the state's 10th District, which includes Kansas City. Both women are Democrats and neither faces more than token Republican opposition in the fall, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.
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