Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock announced this week he would
not seek reelection. A blog operated by a gay D.C. activist has claimed that the
conservative Republican, who has vigorously opposed gay rights, is a closeted
gay man.
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ADRIAN BRUNE
Friday, September 03, 2004
Congressman Edward Schrock, a conservative Republican, abruptly called off his
re-election bid on Aug. 30, citing unspecified “allegations” that
would compromise his legislative ability. The surprise decision came days after
a D.C. gay activist claimed Schrock, who has vigorously opposed gay rights, is
a closeted gay man.
Schrock did not detail the allegations that led to his abrupt retirement announcement,
released late Monday, Aug. 30, but asserted only, “These allegations would
not allow my campaign to focus on the real issues facing our nation and region.”
The announcement came days after D.C. gay activist Michael Rogers, who has
mounted a grassroots campaign to out conservative members of Congress and their
staffs, claimed in an Aug. 19 posting that the 63-year-old married father sought
out sex with other men through a phone sex service.
On Tuesday, Rogers’ site featured an audio file of a man purporting to
be Schrock soliciting sex with other men.
Since coming to Capitol Hill in 2000, Schrock has actively opposed gay civil
rights, earning a “0” score on the HRC report card for the 2001-02
session of Congress.
This year, Schrock cosponsored an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would
ban states from marrying gay couples. As the amendment effort languished, he
voted in favor of the Marriage Protection Act, which would strip federal courts
of jurisdiction to decide the constitutionality of the anti-gay Defense of Marriage
Act.
Most notably, Schrock, a retired Navy officer and Vietnam veteran, campaigned
for repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on
military service by gays, according to regional newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot.
He argued during his 2000 congressional campaign that the policy undermines
military discipline and that the armed forces should once again maintain an
outright ban against their service.
“You’re in the showers with them, you’re in the bunk room
with them, you’re in staterooms with them,’’ Schrock said
at the time. “You just hope no harm would come by folks who are of that
persuasion. It’s a discipline thing.’’
Schrock retired from the Navy in 1988 and later became an investment broker,
resigning in 1995 to run successfully for the Virginia state Senate from a district
that is home to a large number of active-duty service people. In Congress, Schrock
was elected president of the GOP House freshman class and won a plum spot on
the House Armed Services Committee.
Rumors about Schrock’s alleged double life had circulated on Capitol Hill
and among Virginia Republicans for weeks. As word spread about Rogers’
public allegations, state GOP officials reportedly met to discuss possible replacement
nominees in case Schrock withdrew.
Schrock’s retirement, which came on the first night of the Republican
National Convention, left local party leaders scrambling to find a suitable
replacement with just days before the nomination deadline passed.
By secret ballot, the committee nominated Norfolk Delegate Thelma Drake to
face Democratic opponent David B. Ashe, an attorney and Marine who consulted
in the Iraqi interim government.
“I am sad because Ed Schrock is my friend, and certainly what led to
me getting this nomination is a very sad event,” Drake told reporters
after the meeting. “The other side of this is we need to move on, we need
to win this in November.”
Though some Republican insiders had said they hoped the rumors were untrue,
they now say that Schrock’s departure gives Rogers’ assertions credibility.
“It’s a shame that he had to resign because of a Web site that
is trying to push a point of view, … [but] I have to believe that this
was the reason why he stepped down,” Mark L. McKinney, chair of the Virginia
Beach Republican Committee, told the Post.
State Democrats and national leaders agree that Schrock’s departure gave
the party a boost in Virginia, but they said they disagree with Rogers’
tactics in gaining political ground. They also contend that Rogers’ outing
of Schrock was ill-timed, and should have come after the nomination deadline
had passed if Rogers wanted to effect maximum impact.
“I am not a fan of the ‘politics of personal destruction,’”
said Del. Adam Ebbin (D-Arlington), Virginia’s first openly gay elected
Assembly member. “We are going down a very slippery slope once we make
people’s alleged infidelity subject to public scrutiny, whether they are
straight or gay, however they rationalize their orientation or behavior.”
From the GOP convention in New York, Human Rights Campaign President Cheryl
Jacques said that while there was “no love lost” in Schrock’s
departure, she wanted to disassociate her organization from any endorsement
or approval of outing.
Virginia Congressman Jim Moran, one of the state’s three congressional
Democrats, said Schrock’s hypocrisy proved his ultimate downfall.
“The issue here is one of hypocrisy. It wasn’t so much about his
sexual orientation, but his character,” Moran said. “I have very
little tolerance for someone who is determined to expose people’s private
lives, but it is a matter of contrasting what they do in private life with what
they say in public life, I think that’s fair game.”
Since beginning his outing efforts in June, Rogers has been pursuing Schrock
using former employees of the phone service, but previously said he was waiting
to obtain an actual audiotape of Schrock.
Rogers refused to talk to the Blade for this story, but he told the Washington
Post that anger over Schrock’s opposition to gay rights while allegedly
leading a gay life provoked the congressman’s outing.
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