LGBTQ advocate gets jail time for luring teenage boy
A Prince George man known for his advocacy for LGBTQ rights and successful career as a drag queen was sentenced Friday to 14 months in jail for convincing a teenage boy with special needs to send him sexually explicit photos of himself.
Travis Shaw, 33, must also serve three years probation upon completion of the sentence and has been ordered to stay away from parks, playgrounds and schools for 10 years.
According to a sentencing decision from provincial court judge Michael Brecknell, Shaw first met the boy at a March 2014 celebration when the boy was 12 years old and in the time that followed, struck up a friendship with him through social media.
Diagnosed as autistic, the boy had few friends and his mother had initially thought Shaw would be a positive role model. But over about a year, beginning in April 2015, Shaw sent the boy, by then 13-14 years old, hundreds of sexually charged messages, images and videos and, according to Brecknell, “badgered” the boy to reciprocate.
When the boy finally relented, Shaw did not stop and continued to urge him to send more images, Brecknell noted. Shaw also repeatedly asked the boy to meet up with him but without success.
When his mother uncovered copies of sexually explicit messages from Shaw in the boy’s backpack, she called the RCMP and handed over her son’s tablet and password for an investigation. Shaw was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of telecommunicating to lure a child under 16 years old.
What followed was an extended sentencing process as Brecknell was asked to take into account Shaw’s health issues and circumstances as well as the impact his actions have had on the boy.
Recounting Shaw’s background, Brecknell said that while he grew up in a loving and supportive family, his sexual orientation made him a target of bullying and abuse at school.
As an adult, he became an outspoken advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Achievements included drafting anti-harassment policies for a handful of school districts and helping to establish a pride centre at UNBC as well as gay-straight alliances at local high schools. Shaw also ran for city council in 2011 and 2014.
Known by his show name Foxy De-Rossi, Shaw made a living as a drag queen. He developed his act to the point where he was traveling internationally and putting on as many as 300 shows per year.
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But in 2015, he was diagnosed with brain cancer and was forced to end his career. At the time of the offence, Shaw was also going through relationship difficulties and had been mixing alcohol with the medication he had been prescribed to deal with the tumour.
The boy, in turn, had been reluctant to help pursue a case against Shaw, in part because he had been told Shaw was dying. Now nearly 16 years old, he has been subject to violent outbursts that have led to regular attendance by the RCMP at his home. And although he told Shaw he has a girlfriend, the incident has led the boy to question his sexuality and prompt homophobic attacks on students and teachers while at school.
Crown counsel had argued for an 18-month sentence followed by two to three years pro- bation while defence counsel sought 90 days intermittent, in part because of Shaw’s health troubles.
While Shaw posed a low risk to re-offend, Brecknell noted pre-sentence assessments showed he displayed guarded acceptance into the damage he had done and is a candidate for sex offender treatment. The boy has suffered “significant and lasting trauma,” Brecknell said.