Former GOP congressman comes out as gay

https://news.yahoo.com/former-gop-congressman-comes-gay-103907049.html

Jason Silverstein
,CBS News•March 5, 2020

Former Republican Representative Aaron Schock, who had voted against LGBT protections while in Congress, came out as gay Thursday in a post on his website. The one-time Illinois congressman said he would be fighting for LGBT rights now if he was still in office.

"I am gay," Schock, 38, wrote in the lengthy post.

"The fact that I am gay is just one of those things in my life in need of explicit affirmation, to remove any doubt and to finally validate who I am as a person. In many ways, I regret the time wasted in not having done so sooner."

The post describes Schock's religious upbringing in the rural Midwest and how he "didn't want to think about" his sexual orientation as he grew up. "I always preferred to force my thoughts in other directions, leaving a final answer about that for another day," he said.

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During his tenure, Schock voted against several LGBT protections, including the legalization of gay marriage, the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy and an amendment to federal hate crime laws covering sexual orientation and gender identity. In a study of lawmakers' support for LGBT causes, the Human Rights Campaign gave Schock a score of zero.

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Schock said his family disowned him when he came out and still sends him emails about conversion therapy, but his mother appeared to become more accepting and he was "optimistic" about his future.

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