Gay Tourism Director Fakes the Big O

Painting lies in Provincetown?

Okay, so maybe the title of this post stretches the truth, but then again, Internet-based exaggeration and even outright fabrication are the essence of the following tidbit.

Revelers headed to catch the last gasps of summer in Provincetown, that quaint but international gay mecca at the tippy-top of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, this weekend may be greeted with the weird news that Bill Schneider, local tourism director, resigned last week.

Now, why would a highly regarded professional abandon his post mere days after Ptown drew 100,000 attendees to its biggest ever installment of the annual and fabulously gay summer Carnival celebration?

Well, it seems that Schneider compromised his ability to do his job because he fibbed about something in his personal life. Namely, he committed one of the gravest venal sins in all of gaydom. He lied about being a guest on The Oprah Winfrey show.

Learn more about the Ptown Pinocchio after the jump!

Town Hall, where the fibbing Schneider worked.

Schneider, also an author who lives in Ptown’s art-gallery laden East End, reportedly posted material to his own Web site in May that falsely claimed his self-published third novel, Crossed Paths, had been selected by Oprah Winfrey to be part of her renowned book club. He also provided a fictitious Q&A that he presented as a transcript of his appearance on the show, and he included a fake positive review of his book from Oprah herself. His site is now defunct, and of course Team Oprah denies any association with him.

Remember how Oprah tongue lashed James Frey for the lies in his best-selling memoir, A Million Little Pieces? Imagine what the Queen of Talk would say to someone who fabricated a book review and effectively put words in her mouth. As if Schneider would be invited to appear on the show now. Or would he? Public relations strategies can be so counterintuitive.

For his part, Schneider, a Los Angeles transplant hired as tourism director about two years ago, says that his Oprah tales were a way to garner attention for his book, and thereby honor the deceased man – his one-time lover – who inspired the story. Of course, that explanation perplexes colleagues, who say he was incredibly vocal about the lies and seemed to bask in the limelight like one of the seals that populate the local waters, at least until he came to his senses and decided to leave his day job.

Schneider did not mention the scandal in his resignation e-mail, where he cited his marketing efforts that had turned Ptown into a destination for visitors around the world. Fair enough. Melena, a summer guest worker from Eastern Europe, did reference the new and lively Monday night Bulgarian party as she operated the register at the large marine supply store on Commerical Street the other day.

Supposedly, Schneider is in negotiations to write a screenplay based on his book. But why should anybody believe a word he says?