California Republican Ashburn admits he’s gay: May continue voting against “homosexual” rights
”I brought this on myself. And if I’ve had restless nights, it’s all because of my doing…. Well, I’ve always believed that I could keep my personal life personal, and my public life public. But through my own actions, I have made my personal life public…. Well, I am gay. And, uh, so, I — those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long, but I am gay. But that it is, something that is personal, and I don’t believe that I felt with my heart that it, you know, being gay, did not affect, wouldn’t affect how I do my job…. My votes reflect the wishes of the people in my district…. As each of these measures came before me in the legislature, I cast ‘No’ votes, usually ‘No’ votes, because the measures were almost always about acknowledging rights or assigning identification to homosexual persons…. I pray to God that I can find peace, and I want to go back to work in the Senate and work hard for the people who sent me to the legislature.”
Senator Roy Ashburn speaking with conservative talks show host Inga Barks of KERN about being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, and the reports that he was at a gay bar just before being arrested. Ashburn has cast a number of “no” votes on the recognition of gay rights, but he claims in this interview that he was just doing the will of the people. He seems to be saying that he will continue to vote against gay rights issues if that’s what he thinks the people in his district want, and he seems to be indicating that the “vast majority” of the people of Sacramento, CA want him to vote against gay rights. It’s reported by multiple sources that Ashburn is a divorced father of four. He says he had planned to run for Congress at some point, but that he’d decided in some part not to because he was in the closet. (KERN)
”I don’t know why Roy strayed…. I think it’s sad more than hypocritical…. We hope he comes to terms with whatever is making him make a choice to be a gay man.”
Benjamin Lopez, one of the California Senator’s ridiculously anti-gay pals at the Traditional Values Coalition. It’s reported by the Sacramento Bee that, in 2005, the then-closeted Roy Ashburn appeared with Lopez at a rally against gay marriage. As most know, gay marriage was legalized in California in June of 2008, but anti-gay social conservatives like Roy Asburn’s pals, helped to push through a voter initiative, Proposition 8, that quickly repealed those rights for lesbian and gay couples. Lopez tells the newspaper that Lou Sheldon, one of the most anti-gay preachers in the country, has offered “counseling” to Ashburn. (Sacramento Bee)
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