Sep 19th, 2006
McGreevey: Recently Asked Questions (RAQ)
Jim McGreevey’s appearance on Oprah has sparked a round of what I’ll call “RAQ.” (It’s like Frequently Asked Questions but they will cease to be asked after this hype calms down.)
Q: Has McGreevey read your book? [He has two daughters.]
A: On the day he came out in 2004, I mailed a copy of my book to his office. It was my way of expressing support for his children. I didn’t hear back (didn’t really expect to), so I have no idea if he read it.
Q: Don’t you think McGreevey was a selfish [insert any colorful noun here], deceiving his wife/wives and everyone else?
A: If doing what you think is necessary to survive is selfish, then yes, he was selfish. But what were his choices, really? He always wanted to be a politician, and he knew the image he had to maintain. That image required a wife. Until Americans can rattle off the names of dozens of politicians who were elected into office while a supportive spouse of the same gender stood by their side, most aspiring politicians will continue to seek the facade of heterosexuality as an absolute necessity for having a career.
Q: Should McGreevey be considered a role model? (Variation: “Why do you people insist on holding him up as a role model?”)
A: McGreevey makes for a powerful example, but he is no role model.
McGreevey’s story should be told because he is a testament to the hell that is the closet, and the layers of secrets and deceit that go with it. But let’s not overlook a key part of his “confession” to Oprah: if he had not been “outed” he doesn’t think he ever would have come out.
McGreevey was forced to come out. Anyone who re-writes his history to suggest he is a courageous role model is a bigger queen of denial than he ever was.
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Posts from 2004 about articles that quoted me regarding McGreevey’s disclosure:
New York Times, “Sex, Ambition and the Politics of the Closet”
Hartford Courant: “What’s A Straight Spouse To Do? When Gay Spouse Comes Out”
St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Author says focus on out-of-closet governor both good, bad”