Some media outlets are questioning initial reports that California state senator Roy Ashburn was at a gay bar in Sacramento before he was arrested on drunk driving charges early Wednesday morning.On Thursday, CBS 13 reported that Ashburn, who has an antigay voting record, had been pulled over by the state highway patrol and charged with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08% or higher. The station said that he left a popular gay bar, Faces, with another man before his arrest.
However, the Visalia Times-Delta questions the claim about the bar visit.
”Despite the frenzy, the Sacramento station's reports have been unsubstantiated, and the manager of Faces, the gay nightclub Ashburn was said to have visited, told the Talking Points Memo blog that she did not see the senator there Tuesday night,” reported the Times-Delta.
In addition, NBC station KGET 17 quotes the gay bar's chief financial officer, who cannot confirm whether Ashburn visited the large venue, which has five rooms and three dance floors.
“Mike Johnston, the chief financial officer of Faces Nightclub would not confirm if the senator was spotted there,” reported KGET 17. “‘We had a management meeting with the management staff and none of the managers saw him and none of the staff we spoke with saw him. We can't confirm he was here, we can't confirm it,’ Johnston said.”
Ashburn was pulled over with an unidentified man in his state-owned black Chevy Tahoe. The man’s identity has not been disclosed because he was not charged.
Ashburn, a divorced father of four, has not spoken publicly about the incident except to issue an apology. He did not report to work at the legislature on Thursday.
The 7 Worst Things About Sen. Roy Ashburn's DUI Arrest
By now we all know California's State Sen. Roy Ashburn, representing Bakersfield, was arrested early Wednesday morning. But getting picked up by police is one thing. It's an entirely different scenario when you get arrested for drunk driving while leaving a gay bar and you've consistently voted against gay rights issues. So just what are the worst things about Ashburn's arrest?
He's an elected public official. And shouldn't he be more responsible? One only needs to look at New York State to know politicians are often criminals, but these men and women are held to a higher standard, because they are our representatives in this democracy. We voted to put them there, and they walk all over that respect by breaking the law? These folks don't need to be perfect; we don't expect that. But every single one of them campaigned to some degree on moral character — that they are good enough people to know right from wrong, justice from oppression. Getting arrested throws all of that in our faces. (Though we're big supporters of "innocent until proven guilty," so until Ashburn is convicted or pleads guilty to DUI charges, we'll withhold our most brutal assessments, but he's already apologized for his "actions," so that's an admission of wrongdoing right there.)
He was (allegedly) drunk. A cop pulled Ashburn over after spotting his car, around 2am, weaving on the road in downtown Sacramento. Sgt. Rick Campbell of the California Highway Patrol says Ashburn's eyes were bloodshot and he reeked of alcohol. He failed a sobriety test. How embarrassing. And how lucky for Ashburn that he didn't hit anybody. Drunk politicians is such a cliche.
He was driving a state vehicle. Taxpayers funded the black Chevy Tahoe that Ashburn was driving. It now sits in an impound lot. Are state cars supposed to be used for personal business, like cruising bars for hookups? Either way, the image of Ashburn using it to pick up tricks is disturbing. Taxpayers shouldn't fund the trysts of elected officials; even South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford knows that.
He was arrested next to a hotel. Ashburn was pulled over around 13th Street at L Street, right next to the Sacramento Hyatt Regency. We don't know Ashburn's final destination, but a junior suite with his male passenger certainly appears a possibility.
He was married with kids. Ashburn was arrested after leaving a bar, with a stranger in the car. You do the math. So much for those Republican family values and the institution of marriage we hear so much about.
He didn't even break the rules. Yes, this is one of the worst things: Driving drunk, and being convicted of it, doesn't even violate any California State Senate ethics rule. Which means there can be no action taken against him by the legislature. If Ashburn wants to finish his term, he's free to do so. (To be fair, he's been booked on misdemeanor drunk driving, not felony charges, which are usually required by any political body to take disciplinary action.)
He's a bigot! You knew this one was coming. As a lawmaker, Ashburn has spent years denying gay Californians their rights. "In March 2009, Sen. Ashburn voted against a Senate resolution declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional," relays Joe My God" Ashburn voted three times to oppose the creation of Harvey Milk Day. In September he voted against California recognizing out of state same-sex marriages. In 2008 he voted to oppose an expansion of the state's insurance laws to include sexual orientation as a protected class." But he feels totally comfortable with The Gays when it comes to getting his rocks off? This is the worst type of lawmaker: The hypocrite who votes against an entire class of people to whom he belongs.
If Everyone Knew CA Sen. Roy Ashburn Is Gay And Voted Anti-Gay, Should They Have Reported It?
Was California State Sen. Roy Ashburn actually at a gay bar prior to his DUI arrest? Some are questioning the original report!
That the anti-gay state lawmaker was cruising dudes at a gay bar, and appears to have picked one up, made our list of the 7 Worst Things about Ashburn's arrest. But the manager of Faces, the Sacramento gay bar, says he never saw Ashburn that night. Which doesn't mean he wasn't there; just that he wasn't seen by the manager in a packed club of 400 patrons.
Moreover, Ashburn's camp won't comment on any part of his arrest, including his whereabouts before he was pulled over by California Highway Patrol, so for now it's just CBS 13 claiming he was there.
But in some David Mixner/Outrage!-style twist, it appears the local media knew about Ashburn's sexuality. Or at least the rampant rumors he's less than straight. Lois Henry, a columnist at the Bakersfield Californian, Ashburn's hometown paper, asked the lawmaker straight out, "Are you gay?" Ashburn refused to give a straight(!) answer, responding only, "Why would that be anyone's business? Including The Californian's? I think there are certain subjects that are simply not relevant and this is one of them. It has no bearing on the job I do." Back in 2004, another reporter had asked Ashburn that same question, to similar results.
To some, it's curious that Henry and the paper wouldn't report their suspicions about an anti-gay lawmaker to its readers, but we can understand how that went unreported. When the information gets back to editors, their concern is accuracy, and having substantiated information. Rumors are just that: rumors. And while this website and many readers might support public outings of anti-gay politics, print media hasn't necessarily caught up with that manifesto.
Meanwhile, to others it might be curious that Ashburn, rather than issue outright denials about being gay, responded with vague answers about his sexuality. Keep in mind: He's a married father of four. Without a firm denial, he gets to say (somewhere down the road, like right this moment) that he never lied about his sexuality; it also gives folks like us enough room to speculate and assume the obvious. Instead, Ashburn would just say his voting record reflects the wants of his constituents, and not (necessarily) his personal beliefs.
Then again, this is the guy who told supporters, in a 2005 press release, "We need to preserve traditional values for the future of our children. Children must be raised with morals and principles. As a society, we must provide them with a secured and loving environment that allows them to flourish."
UPDATE: West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, who is gay, says he's seen Ashburn regularly at gay bars. And while he respects Ashburn's right to privacy, Cabaldon says he can't stand the hypocrisy. So, uh, why didn't Cabaldon expose the anti-gay state senator before?
Was California State Sen. Roy Ashburn actually at a gay bar prior to his DUI arrest? Some are questioning the original report!
That the anti-gay state lawmaker was cruising dudes at a gay bar, and appears to have picked one up, made our list of the 7 Worst Things about Ashburn's arrest. But the manager of Faces, the Sacramento gay bar, says he never saw Ashburn that night. Which doesn't mean he wasn't there; just that he wasn't seen by the manager in a packed club of 400 patrons.
Moreover, Ashburn's camp won't comment on any part of his arrest, including his whereabouts before he was pulled over by California Highway Patrol, so for now it's just CBS 13 claiming he was there.
But in some David Mixner/Outrage!-style twist, it appears the local media knew about Ashburn's sexuality. Or at least the rampant rumors he's less than straight. Lois Henry, a columnist at the Bakersfield Californian, Ashburn's hometown paper, asked the lawmaker straight out, "Are you gay?" Ashburn refused to give a straight(!) answer, responding only, "Why would that be anyone's business? Including The Californian's? I think there are certain subjects that are simply not relevant and this is one of them. It has no bearing on the job I do." Back in 2004, another reporter had asked Ashburn that same question, to similar results.
To some, it's curious that Henry and the paper wouldn't report their suspicions about an anti-gay lawmaker to its readers, but we can understand how that went unreported. When the information gets back to editors, their concern is accuracy, and having substantiated information. Rumors are just that: rumors. And while this website and many readers might support public outings of anti-gay politics, print media hasn't necessarily caught up with that manifesto.
Meanwhile, to others it might be curious that Ashburn, rather than issue outright denials about being gay, responded with vague answers about his sexuality. Keep in mind: He's a married father of four. Without a firm denial, he gets to say (somewhere down the road, like right this moment) that he never lied about his sexuality; it also gives folks like us enough room to speculate and assume the obvious. Instead, Ashburn would just say his voting record reflects the wants of his constituents, and not (necessarily) his personal beliefs.
Then again, this is the guy who told supporters, in a 2005 press release, "We need to preserve traditional values for the future of our children. Children must be raised with morals and principles. As a society, we must provide them with a secured and loving environment that allows them to flourish."
UPDATE: West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, who is gay, says he's seen Ashburn regularly at gay bars. And while he respects Ashburn's right to privacy, Cabaldon says he can't stand the hypocrisy. So, uh, why didn't Cabaldon expose the anti-gay state senator before?
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