UNITED STATES
The New York Times
By JACOB BERNSTEIN
Published: October 5, 2012
Of course, this isn’t exactly how Thomas Roberts — a fairly down-to-earth guy and the 11 a.m. host of “MSNBC Live” — describes himself.
But it is what happened back in September 2000. Mr. Roberts was 27, living in Norfolk, Va., working at an NBC affiliate, and not even fully out of the closet. A friend invited him to Charlotte, N.C., for a party one weekend, where he met someone who gave him a total schoolboy crush.
“I was warned, ‘He has a face that will slay you,’ ” Mr. Roberts said in a phone interview. “And it did. I remember thinking, ‘I’ve never met or seen anybody like this.’ I was very nervous around him. I didn’t know how to compose myself.”
As it happened, the man in question, Patrick Abner, also 27, felt the same way. …
As bright as their relationship was, Mr. Roberts had dark clouds to vanquish. For a decade and a half, he had kept a big secret: he was abused by his parish priest in Baltimore, where he had grown up and attended high school. But once he became involved with Mr. Abner, Mr. Roberts did not want to keep secrets buried.
“Because I fell so hard for Patrick,” Mr. Roberts said, “I wanted him to know me, and know my scars and bruises, the good, the bad.”
With Mr. Abner’s help, Mr. Roberts sought counseling and in 2005 went to the police. The priest, Jerome F. Toohey, was charged with sexual abuse of a minor. He was convicted in February 2006 and served 18 months in prison.
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