Ashburn comes out

Republic state Sen. Roy Ashburn said Monday morning that he is gay, halting rumors that have circulated about his whereabouts before being arrested for driving under the influence last week.

The conservative lawmaker, who represents Porterville and much of the South Valley, came out on KERN radio in Bakersfield after consistently voting against gay rights measures since he was first elected to the California Assembly in 1996.

“I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long,” he said.

Both local Republican leaders and gay rights activists in Porterville are not sure whether Ashburn’s sexual orientation and conflicting voting record will leave a blemish on his political legacy, but they agree his actions were not hypocritical, as many have claimed.

“If he’s voted against all the things all the things gay, hooray and hallelujah, he has a conscience and respect for those that have elected him — the majority of them are not homosexuals — so I don’t think its a bit hypocritical. When you’re in politics, you are supposed to represent the majority of the people,” Kelly West, president of the Porterville Area Republicans Assembly, said.

Ashburn is termed out this year after serving eight years in the Senate and six years in the Assembly, and has stated previously that he has no immediate plans to continue his public career. He was a Kern County Supervisor for 12 years before he was elected to the Assembly in 1997, where he served consecutive terms until voters placed him into the Senate seat representing the 18th district in 2003.

West said he campaigned fervently to get Ashburn elected, referring to him as a friend whose supporters will stand by him because they support his policies.

“It’s really not our business what he does at home, it’s about the job he does. The people didn’t elect him to be a minister,” West said.

Unlike West, who is adamantly opposed to same sex marriages, Porterville resident Brock Neeley has been involved in grass roots efforts to encourage support for the gay community. He and his husband John Coffee (who has taken out paperwork to run for a seat on the Porterville City Council) were the first male couple to be married in Tulare County, but he is not sold on the notion that Ashburn has acted hypocritically.

And neither is his counterpart, William Vanlandingham, a member of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

“I don’t think he’s being hypocritical,” Vanlandingham said. “Luckily I was one of the couples who did get married legally. Ashburn has not been forthcoming in a lot of respects. But I think that’s true for politics in general. Ashburn knows his job, he knows he’s a politician.

He added that if Ashburn had come out sooner, he could have used his position of power to garner more tolerance for gays.

“What if he would have come out sooner?” Vanlandingham asked. “He would have had more of an impact on things.”

Ashburn defended his voting record during his radio announcement Monday morning. He said they were a reflection of how the majority of voters in his heavily-red district wanted him to vote.

“Excuse me, but I’m also his constituent,” Neeley said. “I just think he wasn’t being honest with himself, maybe if this would have happened 10 years ago, his votes may have been different.”

While speaking with conservative talk show host Inga Barks on Monday morning, Ashburn said he owed the public an explanation, that he wanted to address rumors that he had visited a gay nightclub near the Capitol before his DUI arrest.

“The gay community needs to reach out to him,” Neeley said. “If we expect the rest of society to include us, we need to also be as forgiving, we can’t ask for anything more than what we’re willing to dole out.”

Ashburn was arrested early Wednesday morning after California Highway Patrol officers spotted him swerving in a state-owned vehicle in downtown Sacramento, near L Street and 13th Street. His blood alcohol level was .14 percent, well above the legal limit.

The 55-year-old divorce and father of four issued a statement that afternoon apologizing for what he had done.

“I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me - my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate.”

Rumors surfaced immediately that he had been seen leaving a gay club before his arrest. The speculation was fueled by his conservative voting record.

In 2009, Ashburn voted against a string of bills considered pro-gay, including a bill to recognize out-of-state same sex marriages, institute a day honoring the first openly gay man elected to California public office Harvey Milk and to issue a statement proclaiming opposition to the same sex marriage ban Proposition 8. In 2008, he voted against an expansion of anti-discrimination laws.

“I’ll be looking out, to see what happens,” Vanlandingham said. “If this will tarnish his reputation, that’s sort of up in the air. Some of the conservatives are probably going to pull their support away ... and, now, it will be sort of hard for the gay community for him to rally around him.”

--Contact Jenna Chandler at 784-5000, Ext. 1050, or jchandler@portervillerecorder.com.

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