Out of the closet....again

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/14/jim-swilley-gay-pastor_n_783279.html

Jim Swilley, the pastor of a Georgia megachurch, recently revealed to his congregation that he is gay. The 52-year-old father of four said that his wife, to whom he was married for more than 20 years, encouraged him to come out years ago, but at the time, he told her: "These words will never come out of my mouth."

However, the recent spate of teen suicides, particularly that of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, prompted him to change his mind. "For some reason his situation was kind of the tipping point with me," Swilley told CNN's Don Lemon this weekend.

"There comes a point in your life where you say 'How much time do we have left in our lives? Are we going to be authentic or not?'"

Clemens Indicted

Clemens pleads not guilty

Former pitcher will stand trial in federal court starting April 5 on charges of lying to Congress.

August 31, 2010|Kim Geiger

WASHINGTON — More than two years after Roger Clemens told Congress that he had never taken steroids or human growth hormone, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court to charges that he lied about the alleged doping.

Clemens uttered only one phrase to U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton: "Not guilty, Your Honor." He had arrived at the courthouse more than four hours before his 2 p.m. arraignment. Walton set a trial date of April 5.

The charges stem from a 2007 report on doping in baseball that alleged Clemens had used anabolic steroids on multiple occasions in 1998, 2000 and 2001, and human growth hormone on multiple occasions in 2000.

Clemens repeatedly told lawmakers and congressional staff that the allegations in the report were false. On Aug. 19, he was indicted on three counts of making false statements, two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.

The indictment does not offer specific proof that Clemens used the banned drugs but alleges that he lied to Congress when he rebutted the claims of others who said he had used the substances. Federal prosecutors said Monday that they have agreed to provide the defense with a 34-page master index of evidence, computer disks and "scientific evidence."

Clemens, 48, pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros. In 23 seasons, he was an 11-time All-Star who had 354 victories, 4,672 strikeouts and a 3.12 earned-run average. His statistics would make him a cinch for the Hall of Fame when he is eligible in 2013, but a conviction related to the steroid scandal would cast doubt on his accomplishments.

If convicted, he faces up to a $1.5-million fine and 30 years in prison, though under federal sentencing guidelines he is more likely to face a sentence of 15 to 21 months.

A status hearing on the defense's review of the evidence was set for Dec. 8, with a preliminary hearing on the case scheduled for March 28.

Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds has been charged with obstruction of justice and lying to a federal grand jury when he testified in 2003 that he had never knowingly used steroids. His trial is scheduled to begin March 21.

The allegations in the report were based largely on statements from Clemens' former trainer, Brian McNamee, who cooperated with investigators in exchange for assurance that he would not be prosecuted. McNamee also produced needles, gauze pads and syringes that he said were used to inject Clemens.

In February 2008, Clemens repeatedly denied the allegations in sworn testimony at a public hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and in a deposition with congressional staff. In both instances, he testified voluntarily.

"Let me be clear," Clemens said at the hearing. "I have never taken steroids or HGH."

Clemens was offered a plea deal before his indictment was handed down, but he declined the offer.

"I never took HGH or steroids," he wrote in a Twitter message hours after the indictment was made public. "And I did not lie to Congress."

--

kim.geiger@latimes.com

Ken Mehlman comes out of the closet

WASHINGTON—News that a former campaign chairman for George W. Bush is gay and now a champion for same-sex marriage is pleasing, angering and perplexing gay rights activists and politicians alike in the United States.

Ken Mehlman, Bush’s campaign kingpin in 2004 and one-time chairman of the Republican National Committee, has announced he’s gay and is helping to raise significant funds in support of same-sex marriage. This despite presiding over an election strategy that pushed anti-same sex marriage amendments in 11 states just six years ago.

“At least for me, it wasn’t like there was a light-bulb moment,” he said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine released earlier this week.

“It was an evolutionary process. The reality is, it’s taken me 43 years to come to terms with this part of my life. The process has been something that has made me a happier and better person. It’s something I wish I had done years ago.”

Mehlman is among a string of conservatives who have either fully advocated same-sex marriage in recent months or have opined that it doesn’t pose a threat to traditional marriage, including political wives Laura Bush and Cindy McCain and right-wing commentators Glenn Beck and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Many welcomed the announcement, saying it proves the time has come for marriage equality in the United States.

“He’s the latest in a wave of self-identified conservatives speaking up in support of the freedom to marry,” said Evan Wilson, author of Why Marriage Matters and director of the Freedom to Marry advocacy group.

“They’re all speaking out, and it’s in part because the more people have had a chance to see marriage for real in places like Canada, South Africa, Spain and states like Iowa and Massachusetts, the more they very quickly realize that there’s a complete lack of evidence that such a basic human right should be denied.

“Canada passed that threshold a long time ago, but we’re getting there as well. And Mehlman and others are reflecting this growing understanding of the lack of any good reason for denying the freedom of marriage.”

That’s not how some Republicans see it.

Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, told the gay publication The Advocate that Mehlman was “abdicating core Republican beliefs” in supporting an effort to challenge California’s anti-same-sex marriage law.

Brown added that same-sex marriage advocates were using high-profile conservatives to “create an impression that there is an inevitability to same-sex marriage. The facts strongly go against that idea.”

Some in the gay and lesbian community are also finding it difficult to forget that Mehlman was the architect of much of the anti-gay rhetoric and policies of Bush’s presidency.

Blogger Joe Jervis has been unforgiving in the wake of Mehlman’s coming out, noting that public records show the Republican continues to donate funds to politicians who are opposed to same-sex marriage.

Those Republican politicians include Ben Quayle, son of former vice-president Dan Quayle, who’s running for U.S. Congress in Arizona, and Missouri’s Roy Blunt, who has voted to add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban gay marriage.

“If you live in any of the 21 states (where civil unions and same-sex marriage are illegal) . . . you can credit your second-class citizenship to fellow homosexual Ken Mehlman,” Jervis wrote on his blog Joe. My. God.

Mehlman, for his part, has told The Advocate that he understands the enduring resentment.

“I have a lot of friends who ask questions and who are angry about it. I understand that folks are angry, I don’t know that you can change the past,” he said.

“One thing I regret a lot is the fact that I wasn’t in the position I am today where I was comfortable with this part of my life . . . I can’t change that. It is something I wish I could and I can only try to be helpful in the future.”

Mehlman has significant work ahead of him to convince many in the gay and lesbian community that he’s truly contrite after years spent working for a political party that has historically fought against same-sex marriage, Wilson said.

“He’s started down that road, and of course time will tell how much heavy lifting he does,” he said.

“He sure has a lot of damage to clean up.”

GOP state senator comes out of closet in aftermath of drunk driving arrest

« Previous Post | PolitiCal Home | Next Post »

March 8, 2010 | 11:38 am

A Republican state senator from Bakersfield came out of the closet in a radio interview Monday morning in the wake of a report that he had been at a gay club in Sacramento before he was arrested on drunk driving charges last week.

Sen. Roy Ashburn has been on personal leave since his arrest early Wednesday morning in his state car not far from the Capitol. The arrest touched off rampant speculation about his sexuality after a Sacramento television station reported he had been at a gay nightclub in Sacramento just before he was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers. But Ashburn had declined to comment.

He broke his silence in an interview on Bakersfield radio station KERN (1180 AM) with talk-show host Inga Barks on Monday morning, saying the incident had led to "restless nights" and "soul searching." Ashburn said he had "brought this on myself." When he told Barks he owed his constituents an explanation, she responded, "Do you want me to ask you … the question, or do you want to just tell people?"

"I am gay,'' Ashburn answered, "and so I … those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long. But I am gay. But it is something that is personal and …. I felt with my heart that being gay didn't affect -- wouldn't affect -- how I did my job." He did not express any resentment that his sexuality had come under scrutiny, saying, "Through my own actions, I made my personal life public."

The episode, widely discussed on Internet blogs, in newspapers and on TV, spurred charges of hypocrisy against the senator from gay-rights activists who noted that Ashburn, a divorced father of four, had voted several times against legislation favoring gays and lesbians.

On Sept. 1, 2005, Ashburn voted against a bill that would have allowed same-sex marriages in California. The bill was later vetoed by the governor. Ashburn also was among the minority in voting against legislation last year that designated May 22 of each year as Harvey Milk Day.

"It is unfortunate he helped spread the bigotry that forced him to stay in the closet," said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a group supporting gay marriage. "We hope he now takes this opportunity to educate people in his district and throughout the state that his sexual orientation is irrelevant.''

Ashburn defended his votes against gay-rights legislation, saying he was reflecting how the voters in his district felt.

"I believe firmly that my responsibility is to my constituents," Ashburn said.

-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento