There’s currently some controversy (of the media-cycle-manufactured, “Why is this dominating the airwaves now?” sort) swirling around Kevin Jennings, an openly gay Deputy Assistant Secretary in Obama’s Department of Education.  Jennings, who is also the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, has come under fire from right-wing news outlets like Fox News and the Washington Times, which have accused him of covering up what they allege was the statutory rape of a gay teenage student who came to Jennings for advice in 1988 after having a sexual encounter with an older man.

Media Matters and other outlets say that they’ve debunked the accusations of rape and a cover up.  Jennings, for his part, released a statement Wednesday saying that he now realized he “should have handled this situation differently,” and still has the backing of his bosses at the Department of Education.

But this isn’t the first time that Jennings has been criticized by conservatives — Princeton Professor Robert (NOM) George, for example, denounced Jennings for promoting “pro-homosexualist propaganda” all the way back in June!  See the video from nonprofit American Principles in Action after the jump.