The Governor is Gay?

In September of 2006, the state of New Jersey got one of the biggest political surprises that they had ever seen. Their 52nd elected state governor Jim McGreevey confessed to the public that he was in fact a married homosexual man. In an interview shortly after "coming out", McGreevey said this,

"Thirty-four days after I was elected governor of New Jersey, I began a secret affair with an aide named Golan Cipel. It destroyed my career, ruined my marriage, and helped me discover who I really am."

In all honesty, I think that it is quite ridiculous at the amount of controversy that came with the gay confession of this man. He didn't commit a crime. He didn't murder anyone, or steal anything. He simply admitted to the public that he was in fact a gay American man. Many will argue. "He was a married man", is usually the first argument that people tend to use. I am aware of the fact that he was married, and even had a little girl, but does anyone realize how hard it is to come out to the public as a homosexual man? Especially one in a heterosexual marriage! It also didn't help that he was the governor of New Jersey. Like he said in his interview with Oprah, it truly destroyed his career and ruined all that was right in his marriage.

Jim McGreevey was a great man, and a fantastic governor. He was just on the brink of getting New Jersey out of a slump and back on its feet. Before his resignation here were some of accomplishments that McGreevey had made-

• After being elected to the governorship on his second try (on November 6, 2001), McGreevey inherited a $5 billion budget deficit. During his term, he raised the tax on cigarettes and increased the state income tax for the wealthy. Raised as a Roman Catholic but maintaining a pro-choice stance on abortion, he stated as governor that he would not receive Communion at public church services.
• Among McGreevey's accomplishments were implementing a stem cell research plan for New Jersey, heavily lobbying for the state's first domestic partnership law for same-sex couples and signing such a law in early 2004.
• McGreevey's term was controversial, with questions about the credentials of several of his appointees to pay to play and extortion scandals involving backers and key New Jersey Democratic fundraisers.

Even after all of his accomplishments with the state of New Jersey, he still felt that it would be necessary to resign and put his political past behind him. After battling much controversy by the public and media both, undergoing a horrific divorce and custody battle, McGreevey has just recently settled down with his boyfriend and the two have happily began their lives together. Regardless of his current happiness despite his rough battle, I still feel as though the whole situation is nonsense. My next blog will include a video interview and the public's reaction to McGreevey's confession.