Senator Roy Ashburn, the California state senator who was arrested for driving under the influence after leaving a gay bar in March apologized on Monday for the harm he has caused the LGBT community.He wrote a formal apology letter on GayPolitics.com:
“I am sincerely sorry for the votes I cast and the actions I took that harmed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Just as important to me, I am sorry for not stepping forward and speaking up as an elected official on behalf of equal treatment for all people,” he wrote. “I chose to conceal who I truly am and to then actually vote against the best interests of people like me.”
Ashburn has one of the strongest voting records against expanding LGBT rights in California.
“My past actions harmed gay people. In fact, all people are harmed when there is unequal treatment of anyone under the constitution and laws of our country,” he wrote.
He recognized the opportunity he has as a now-out gay Republican Senator. He connected classic Republican beliefs of “individual freedom and limited government” to the fight for equal rights and vowed to work for securing these rights.
“Now, from what I have lived and learned, I want to do the best that I can to advance equality and freedom for all people,” he wrote. “I am no longer willing, nor able to remain silent
No comments:
Post a Comment