New Jersey Governor James McGreevey resigned from office Thursday, stating, “I am a gay American.”
McGreevey spoke at a press conference in Trenton, New Jersey, Thursday afternoon (August 12), following allegations of corruption made by several of his political aides. The governor, who had served two years of his term, cited a “consensual affair with another man.”
With his wife standing by his side, McGreevey announced his homosexuality. “From my early days in school until the present day,” he said, “I noticed something that separated me from others.”
“I have grappled with my own identity,” McGreevey continued, describing how he struggled to align himself with what he felt were values that would make him part of a “traditional community.”
The governor then acknowledged his extramarital affair: “It was wrong, it was foolish, it was unacceptable,” he said. “Let me be clear,” the governor continued, “I accept total and full responsibility for my actions. However, I am required to do now, to do what is right, to correct the consequences of my actions and to be truthful to my loved ones, my friends and my family, and also, to myself.”
Following the announcements of his homosexuality and extramarital affair, the governor explained that he felt the appropriate course of action was resignation.
Here’s what I’m worried about now: I am afraid that people will assume that he resigned because he’s gay, and make the connection that gay people are a) more likely to be promiscuous and b) unfit to serve as public officials.
I am also sick and tired of people writing things like “what he felt were values that would make him part of a “traditional community””. Being gay has nothing whatsoever to do with values — its a biological trait. Your values come into play when you have an affair, when you lie about who you are.
Still, I wonder what other issues led to his resignation — evidently he was accused of corruption. There are plenty of politicians who remained in office after they admitted an affair. Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich come to mind, if I might be bipartisan for a moment.
