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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

County Coroner Has Done It Again

In his quest seemingly to tie every death he investigates to homosexuality, Spokane County Coroner Dexter Amend has crossed the line of decency again.

This time, Amend pestered the family of an 11-year-old boy who died in a fire Monday, particularly his older brother. The coroner asked the grieving teen if his brother ever masturbated or had sex with another boy.

The question resembled one Amend posed last summer to Mabel Grantham shortly after she learned that her teen had been shot dead. Amend wanted to know if the girl had ever been sodomized (an act the coroner mistakenly associates only with gay men).

Afterward, the grieving mother remarked: “I thought, what in the hell does getting shot in the head have to do with being sodomized?”

And what does dying of smoke inhalation have to do with masturbation or homosexuality?

No one, including those who share Amend’s aversion toward the gay lifestyle, can defend an unprofessional obsession that violates distraught people who are struggling to cope with death. Put yourself in the survivors’ shoes. How’d you like a strange man barging into your life after a loved one’s death, asking about his or her sex habits?

Amend’s monomania does no favors for anti-gay activists. Indeed he’s creating sympathy for those who affirm that sexual preference is a private matter.

By requesting an autopsy of a gay man who died of AIDS complications in November, by trying to link the murder of 9-year-old Rachel Carver to homosexuality and other faux pas, Amend has made himself into a pariah. His actions should raise concerns even in the minds of those who object to the gay lifestyle and movement.

In August, some 360 people rallied for Amend after his comments about Rachel Carver came under fire, hailing him as a hero for his anti-gay stand. Some wanted him to run for mayor. Some wanted him to run for governor. Some wanted him to lead an anti-sodomy movement.

Sympathizers, however, are allowing their abhorrence for homosexuality to blind them to Amend’s erratic, boorish behavior. Let’s consider their “hero”:

Almost 140 Spokane doctors have signed petitions requesting Amend’s ouster.

The Spokane Human Rights Commission has called for his resignation.

Hospice of Spokane has rebuked the coroner for traumatizing distraught families, saying his attitude is making their job harder. In one instance, Amend notified a woman of her son’s death by leaving a message on her answering machine, then called her five times in one day to quiz her about his friends and his lifestyle.

In September Gov. Mike Lowry ordered the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission to investigate complaints about Amend.

There’s more - lawsuits, a recall effort, questionable death certificates. And, there’s a bill in the Legislature that would enable Spokane County at last to replace its 19th-century coroner system with a professional medical examiner.

But in the meantime, Amend’s position gives him a license to harass. God have mercy on you if the coroner comes calling.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board