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Gay news: 'I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long'
Roy Ashburn: I am gay
Anti-gay US Senator comes out as gay
Roy Ashburn, the anti-gay rights California state senator arrested last week on drink-driving charges after leaving a gay bar, came out as gay yesterday.
His pronouncement ended days of speculation partly fuelled by an openly gay California mayor's revelation that he had seen Ashburn in gay bars on several occasions.
Senator Ashburn, a Republican, told KERN radio's conservative talk show host Inga Barks: "I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long."
The 55-year-old father of four said he had tried to keep his personal life separate from his professional life until his March 3 arrest.
"When I crossed the line and broke the law and put people at risk, that's different, and I do owe people an explanation.
"The best way to handle that is to be truthful and to say to my constituents and all who care that I am gay. But I don't think it's something that has affected, nor will it affect, how I do my job."
Ashburn was pulled over by the highway patrol at around 2am on Wednesday when officers observed him driving erratically in Sacramento, California.
He was arrested without incident and charged with the misdemeanours of driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08%.
An unidentified male passenger was also in the car but was not detained. After being booked into the county jail, Ashburn was released just before 4am on a bond of $1,400.
Sources told local TV station CBS 13 that Ashburn had been stopped after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in downtown Sacramento.
Christopher Cabaldon, mayor of West Sacramento, told reporters that he had mentioned Ashburn's secret life on his Facebook page several months ago, although nothing came of it.
He had written: "It wouldn't bother me so bad to see Roy Ashburn at Badlands if he didn't have such a bad voting record on gay rights."
Ashburn's consistent record of opposing gay rights measures during his 14 years in the state legislature includes voting against a senate resolution to declare Proposition 8 unconstitutional and three votes against the creation of Harvey Milk Day. He also organised anti-gay marriage rallies as part of his 'Traditional Family Values' campaign.
Gay rights group Equality California has consistently given Ashburn a zero rating on its scorecard, but its executive director, Geoff Kors, was hopeful that the senator's revelation would lead him to change the way he voted.
"He's still the same person, only living more honestly," Kors said. "I hope his own self-awareness will result in him no longer voting to deny people the most basic rights."
But Ashburn told Barks that he planned to continue voting on behalf of what he saw as the majority viewpoint in his Bakersfield district.
"I felt my duty - and I still feel this way - is to represent my constituents, not my own point of view, not my own internal conflict," he said, adding that he did not plan to run for any public office after his term ends this year.
