Politician’s Dinner With Gay Porn Star Makes Waves

BRAINERD, Minn.—Usually if a politician is caught socializing—or, God forbid, cavorting—with a porn star, denials and obfuscation quickly follow, but not with Paul Koering.

The openly gay Republican state senator from Minnesota raised eyebrows in his state after it came to light that he dined with gay porn star Brandon Wilde—and Koering doesn’t see what the fuss is all about.

“I don’t see anything wrong with going out with him,” Koering told TheSword.com. “Do I think that being a porn star is the best thing? No. But that’s his choice. I think he’s a nice guy.”

Wilde revealed his Sunday night plans on Twitter when he said, “lol so funny!! in 45 mins im going 2 dinner with the senator :).” According to TheSword, the pair dined at Iven’s on the Bay in Brainerd.

While Wilde had a profile on Rentboy.com, it’s since been taken down. Wilde said that his dining date was not through the now notorious escort site. The pair had been online friends (through a mutual friend) and met in person at a gay pride picnic.

"I think he wanted to get in my pants, truthfully,” Wilde confessed to TheSword.com. “And he was pretty flirty. But it was just dinner. We both were checking out the waiter though. It was fun."

Koering came out as a gay man in 2005, after breaking with his party to reject a state amendment that sought to define marriage between a man and woman.

Koering, though, has proven to be a lock-step conservative. He voted in 2009 against a gay marriage bill and called the act “pointless.”

So, will there be a second date?

"He asked me at dinner why I was doing porn, like he was disappointed,” a bemused Wilde told TheSword.com. “He gave me this look like he thought I was better than all of that. But he asked me to dinner again next week."