Screenshot via @capitolapolice on Instagram
A prominent figure in LGBTQ+ media, George Paul Bishop, 66, has been arrested in Santa Cruz, CA, and identified as a fugitive sex offender. Bishop, who used the alias “Brody Levesque” during his journalism career, was taken into custody for failing to register as a sex offender.
Bishop’s past came to light after his arrest. In 2005, he was convicted in Virginia for manufacturing and possessing child pornography, specifically for photographing a 16-year-old boy in bondage gear. He served prison time and probation for the offense. As a result of the conviction, he was required to register as a Tier 3 sex offender for life. However, he failed to register in 2016, prompting authorities to list him as “wanted” and an “absconder” on the Virginia State Police Sex Offender registry.
Under the name “Brody Levesque,” Bishop built a career in LGBTQ+ journalism, contributing to and working for several well-known publications. These include the Los Angeles Blade, Pink News, The New Civil Rights Movement, Georgia Voice, The Washington Blade, and LGBTQ Nation (his work appeared in acquired archives). While some reports and his own LinkedIn profile indicated he held an “editor” position at the Los Angeles Blade, the publication’s publisher, Lynne Brown, clarified that he worked as a freelancer and that their relationship ended due to “overreaching and exaggerating titles.”
Despite his past, “Levesque” had recently been appointed to a media advisory board for a new LGBTQ+ investigative outlet and was considered a “heavy hitter” in the field.
Capitola Police Captain Mike Kilroy noted that, in addition to being a federal fugitive, “Bishop is a registered sexually violent predator with a history of producing and distributing child sexual assault material and sex trafficking. Capitola Police Department Criminal Investigation Unit Detectives are currently investigating any further potential crimes of this nature.”
Bishop was arraigned in Santa Cruz County and is currently being held pending a likely extradition request to Virginia.
