In an extraordinary turn of events, support for Portland's embattled gay mayor is beginning to take shape, including a rally where openly gay Milk director Gus Van Sant is expected to appear to support Adams.

Sam Adams has quickly become a polarizing figure after he admitted that he covered up a sexual affair with a teenage boy during his mayoral campaign.

Several prominent Portland newspapers – the Oregonian, the Portland Tribune and the Portland Business Journal – along with the Portland Police Association have asked Adams to resign.

While several outlets in the gay media expressed support for Adams – Queerty.com and Atlanta-based Sovo.com included – Portland's own Just Out joined in the chorus of voices asking for resignation.

“People are devastated,” Marty Davis, editor of Just Out, told the Oregonian. “It's not a question of innocent until proven guilty. He's already admitted he lied. He lied to our community, he lied to me, he lied to my publication.”

Davis said Adams has “lost all credibility.”

Adams remains in seclusion; he has not been seen at City Hall since giving a Tuesday press conference during which he admitted he lied about his relationship with Beau Breedlove and asked for forgiveness.

“I want to apologize to the people of Portland for my dishonesty,” Adams said. “I made a mistake.”

The rumor that he and Breedlove had an intimate relationship first surfaced during the 2007 mayoral campaign. Adams' long-standing response has been to dismiss those reports as a “nasty smear.”

During the press conference, Adams admitted to sleeping with Breedlove as soon as three weeks after he turned 18 and the two dated for “maybe two months.” Oregon is one of twelve states where the age of consent is 18.

Portland city council agreed on Wednesday to ask the state Attorney General to investigate if Adams abused his office.

Several officials have suggested that the investigation was Adams' only hope for survival. The mayor told the Oregonian that he'll decide soon if he's to step down or fight for his job.

Several groups are urging Adams to remain. The group Sam Is Still My Mayor (samisstillmymayor.blogspot.com) is organizing a Friday rally at 5:30PM at City Hall. The group says that 20 years of service “outweigh his honesty about the details of his (legal and consensual) sex life.” Openly gay syndicated columnist Dan Savage will speak at the rally, according to the group's website.

Another rally that will feature openly gay Milk director Gus Van Sant is being organized by Thomas Lauderdale, the leader of the Portland band Pink Martini. Lauderdale told the Oregonian that Van Sant, who lives in Portland, will be present to support Adams. Van Sant's biopic about slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk was nominated for eight Academy Awards yesterday. Lauderdale, who called the reaction to Adams' admission “a feeding frenzy,” has tentatively scheduled his rally for Friday.

Opposition has also formed on the Net with the arrival of recallsamadams.com, whose members remain anonymous. A recall effort, however, will have to wait. Under Portland rules, a mayor cannot be recalled until after he has served six months in office.

Adams became the first openly gay mayor to run one of the 30 largest cities in the United States when he took office on January 1.