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Kevin Naff is editor of the Washington Blade and can be reached at knaff@washblade.com.
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HOME > VIEWPOINT > EDITORIAL
By: KEVIN NAFF COMMENTS
 
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the D.C. City Council, quit the GOP following Bush’s push for a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Unfortunately, others continue to devote their careers to bigoted masters.
When it was revealed last year that Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) employs a gay man as one of his most senior aides, the virulently anti-gay senator issued a surprising statement of support.
“He is widely respected and admired on Capitol Hill, both among the press corps and among congressional staff, as a communications professional,” Santorum said of Robert Traynham. “Not only is Mr. Traynham an exemplary staffer, he is also a trusted friend and confidante to me and my family.
“It is entirely unacceptable that my staff’s personal lives are considered fair game by partisans looking for arguments to bolster my opponent’s campaign. Mr. Traynham continues to have my full support and confidence as well as my prayers as he navigates this rude and mean-spirited invasion of his personal life.”
Of course there was nothing rude or mean-spirited about the coverage of Traynham’s sexual orientation; he’s openly gay and Santorum knew about it for eight years. It’s telling that Santorum views even the mention of a gay person’s sexual orientation as a “rude invasion.”
I’ve seen “The List,” as it’s ominously described, posted to various blogs this week and there are no surprises on it. Most of the gay Republicans (and a few Democrats) named have been described as gay or rumored to be gay in numerous Blade accounts over the years. Lawmakers from Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) to Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) have long refused to answer questions about their personal lives, fueling the gay rumors.
There is a simple way for all those unhappy closeted gay Republicans to combat the rumors and neutralize their enemies: just come out. Lawmakers like Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) and professional staffers like Fordham demonstrate that coming out as a gay Republican need not preclude anyone from enjoying a long and respectable career on the Hill.
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