Ken Mehlman The man who played a leading role in getting George W Bush re-elected in 2004 has come out. Ken Mehlman is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the former campaign manager for George W Bush – a US President regarded as having incredibly homophobic policies. Mehlman has reportedly informed his family and colleagues that he is gay, telling The Atlantic: "It's taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life. Everybody has their own path to travel, their own journey, and for me, over the past few months, I've told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they've been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that's made me a happier and better person. It's something I wish I had done years ago." Mehlman says he reached the decision to come out in part because he would like to play a greater role as an advocate for same-sex marriage. He acknowledged that had he been open about his sexuality earlier, he might have tried to push back against parts of the national Republican agenda, including efforts by former Bush adviser Karl Rove in 2004 and 2006 to put same-sex marriage initiatives on the ballot in states across the country. "I can't change the fact that I wasn't in this place personally when I was in politics, and I genuinely regret that. It was very hard, personally." Read the full story on The Atlantic website
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 26th August 2010 - 1:05pm