This just in: Someone else is gay. Fresh from our "Out of the closet" file, Georgia state Rep. Rashad Taylor (D-Atlanta) has just become the first self-acknowledged gay man in that state's Legislature. He made the announcement during a morning news conference.
Jim Calloway of AJC.com reports that in a news conference at the offices of Georgia Equality, Taylor said that he felt compelled to make the announcement after an email was circulated to state lawmakers this week accusing Taylor of being gay and of using his position in the Legislature to solicit sexual relationships. Taylor denied the allegations of improper conduct.
The author of the email, who signed his name "J. Callahan," hung up on a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and would not provide proof of his claims. Callahan had been instructed by state officials on how to file an official ethics complaint against Taylor, but no complaint has been filed, House Ethics Committee Chairman Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs) said.
Taylor said that the man who sent the email is the former partner of the person Taylor is now dating. Really? A gay person outing another gay person, especially out of spite, is not cool. For that matter, anyone making that kind of threat or using that tactic is not cool.
If you have not received this memo yet, here it is: Gay people exist in all facets of society, including local and state legislatures. Deal with it. There is no need to announce your sexual identity anymore or for people to try and use it against you. Not only is it no longer news, but more important, it's noboby's business.
Read more at AJC.com.
Watch video of the announcement below.
In other news: South Africa's Zuma to Negotiate With Qaddafi.
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