Saturday, August 28, 2010

Ken Mehlman is gay.

Former Republican National Committee chief Ken Mehlman has affirmed that he is gay

Ken Mehlman, former chief of the Republican National Committee and President Bush's campaign manager in 2004, has told family and friends that he is gay, The Atlantic reported Wednesday.

In an interview with the magazine, Mehlman said he's going public with his sexual identity now because he wants to become an advocate for gay marriage.

Now he tells us.  After helping the Republicans create an irrelevant Gay Marriage wedge issue, a wedge issue that was big enough to drive many small-government advocates out of the party that claims to favor small government, now that he's no longer running the RNC, he tells us that he's freakin' gay. 
Jesus Christ Almighty.

"It's taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life," Mehlman said.

Did you suddenly realize you were gay when you finally understood that not everyone spends his evenings cruising Bus Stop mens' rooms?  Or was it when you felt a little guilt over remaning silent while Statist power-grabbers were crafting The Defense Of Marriage Act? 

"Everybody has their own path to travel, their own journey, and for me, over the past few months, I've told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they've been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that's made me a happier and better person. It's something I wish I had done years ago."

A lot of other people also wish you had done it years ago.  Gays and lesbians couples who can't see each other in the hospital because they aren't "family", for instance.  Or American taxpayers who find themselves deeper and deeper in debt because fake distractions like gay marriage, ground zero mosques and prayer in schools keep us from paying attention to real problems. 
Mehlman said he plans to attend a fundraiser next month for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group that supported the legal challenge to California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative against gay marriage.
He told The Atlantic that during his time in the Republican leadership he was often conflicted as Karl Rove and the GOP pushed an anti-gay agenda.

Blah blah blah blah....What would have happened if Oskar Schindler hadn't decided to save Jews until AFTER the Holocaust?  It's a little late to be coming out against Prop 8. 

"I can't change the fact that I wasn't in this place personally when I was in politics, and I genuinely regret that. It was very hard, personally," Mehlman said. "What I do regret, and think a lot about, is that one of the things I talked a lot about in politics was how I tried to expand the party into neighborhoods where the message wasn't always heard. I didn't do this in the gay community at all."

Read The Atlantic's feature on Mehlman here.

3 comments:

Hot Sam said...

Hey, just because we're late to the party doesn't mean you shouldn't offer us a drink.

I don't suppose you prefer he never came around.

Anonymous said...

He wasn't conflicted in his past, he was gutless and well aware that he was a self loathing hypocrite. Now that other far more courageous people have lead the way and he no longer has a job riding on it, he feels like telling the world. No doubt he'll find some job where his suddenly being open will benefit him financially, but frankly he missed the boat on real change. If he and even half the gays and lesbian in the Republican party stepped forward and stood for hat they truly believe in, then you wonder just how recognizable the party would be anymore. But I think most people would view this as a good thing.

NickM said...

It took him 40-odd years to decide he was gay!

Wow!

Just wow!

We've just had a Tory decide he was gay after a "30 year struggle".

As ever we can't keep up with our pals over the pond.