Crime

LGBTQ non-profit head faces lewd conduct charge

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Ethan Felson, photo credit Wider Bridge

By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First

A Windsor County man, who heads an international LGBTQ non-profit, is facing a felony charge of lewd and lascivious conduct following an incident at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, town police said Friday.

Ethan Felson, 59, of Quechee is due in Vermont Superior Court in White River Junction on Dec. 17 at 8:30 a.m., Norwich Police said Friday.

Felson was appointed as Executive Director of A Wider Bridge in July 2020, news reports show.

A Wider Bridge says it was created in 2010 to provide opportunities for LGBTQ people in North America to build meaningful relationships with Israel and LGBTQ Israelis.

A Wider Bridge, which has its main headquarters in New York City, was founded by Arthur Slepian, after a homophobic shooting that left two dead in Bar Noar, a gay bar in Tel Aviv, news stories noted.

The victim in the Norwich case is in his mid-20’s, police said.

Attempts to reach Felson for a comment on the police citation were unsuccessful.

Felson is listed as admitted to the bar associations in Connecticut and Massachusetts on his LinkedIn profile. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut Law School in 1996 and completed his undergraduate at Lehigh University in 1987.

Norwich Police said it was notified on Oct. 15 about a possible sexual assault that occurred at the Montshire Museum about 10 days earlier, Chief Matt Romei said in a community release.

He wrote that after an investigation it was determined that an older man had committed lewd and lascivious conduct against a younger man at the museum.

The police chief said after consultation with Windsor County State’s Attorney Ward Goodenough a decision was made to order Felson into criminal court next month.

Norwich Police said it appreciated the help received from the Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Vermont State Police Special Investigations Unit during the case.

Also assisting in the investigation was the Multidisciplinary Interview and Training Center at WISE in Lebanon, N.H., which works with crime victims.

The Montshire Museum bills itself as a hands-on interactive science center with exhibits on nature, technology, astronomy, and the physical sciences.

Felson’s Linked In profile said he served earlier as both the assistant director and later as director of the Jewish Community Relations Council in Hartford, Conn. from 1988 to 2001. He moved on to be the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Israel Action Network, the Jewish Federations of North America from 2001 to 2016.

Felson was executive director of the Israel Action Network from 2016 to 2020 when he joined A Wider Bridge.

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Categories: Crime

9 replies »

  1. “The Montshire Museum bills itself as a hands-on interactive science center”. There seems to be some room for interpretation there.

  2. The “hands-on physical science” was too irresistible. Or maybe he wanted to see an elephant.

  3. 2024 is the year of exposure and great take downs. It’s not over yet. Several thousands of sealed Federal indictments yet to spring open and the alphabet acronym groups being tracked and monitored. Am made aware of a certain code within the RICO statutue involving NGO’s and non-profits. Appears lawfare warfare may be primed for the turn of that boomerang effect. Fraud has limited shelf life. Crimes against humanity will not go unpunished. God will not be mocked. Hence, the pure panic, colossal meltdowns, gnawing and gnashing of teeth.

  5. Most people “born gay” that I know lead respectful and mostly monogamous lifestyles. It is the ones whose entire existence, persona and activism is about publicly celebrating and promoting their sexuality that you have to watch out for. The same goes for straight people. If a straight man was all about wearing playboy bunny graphics and sadomasochistic fashion accessories, most decent people would avoid them and keep their children away as well. The same goes for women who carry on with “whorish” attire and mannerisms. Most decent people would never bring their small children to any kind of a drag event, as a simple avoidance of activist, flamboyant gay men.

    • Rich,
      Because the LGBTQIABCQTGCFD+ is NOT about “acceptance”, “respect” or “inclusion”. It is one thread of a very sophisticated agenda of both population control and social control. It is intended to turn ordinary, normal people into livestock. Defined only by what their bits say. It has the added advantage of shaming those who want hetero relationships for wanting to avoid that nonsense.

      It’s why they have to get them young. At 13 or 14, when the hormones first kick in and everything is a stimulant. Your average, awkward 14 year old who is popping stiffies at every breeze is told that those feelings are what define you. And look, here’s a category in our alphabet that fits what stimulates you! Oh joy!

      Many of the older readers here had a brother, cousin, uncle who never married but did have his special friend. And everyone accepted it. Granted, your teenagers were wary around them, and their dad would say, “ yeah, be careful there”. But that was life.

      Now, it’s all messed up.

  7. Likely an on-going pattern of behavior by a protected class. Demonstrated by overt behavior in a public setting. Suspect others will come forward, as so often the case with sexual predators. Hope VDC stays on top of this story as liberal media will do everything possible to keep it out of the news. Exactly as they did with Sen. Flanagan.