Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven,
Mississippi, has acknowledged he's gay after an audit revealed a
purchase at a store for gay men, The
Commercial Appeal reported.
Davis is under investigation for
billing personal expenses to the city.
He charged the city with liquor,
expensive dinners and $67 worth of personal items purchased at gay
adult store Priape while on a recruitment trip to Canada. Officials
have demanded Davis repay the city roughly $170,000 from improper
charges.
The revelation prompted Davis to
publicly acknowledge his sexual orientation.
“At this point in my life and in my
career, while I have tried to maintain separation between my
personal and public life, it is obvious that this can no longer
remain the case,” Davis told the paper. “While I have performed
my job as mayor, in my opinion, as a very conservative, progressive
individual – and still continue to be a very conservative
individual – I think that it is important that I discuss the
struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the
realization that I am gay.”
In 2008, Davis, a Republican, ran
unsuccessfully for Congress on a conservative platform.
Davis and his wife Suzann of 19 years
divorced in 2010. They have 3 daughters.