Former Florida gubernatorial candidate
Andrew Gillum has come out as bisexual.
The 41-year-old Democrat made the
announcement Monday in an interview with journalist Tamron Hall.
“You didn't ask the question, you put
it out there whether I identify as gay,” Gillum told Hall. “The
answer is I don't identify as gay but I do identify as bisexual.”
“And that is something that I've
never shared publicly before,” he added with his wife by his side.
The announcement comes roughly six
months after Florida police found Gillum in a Miami Beach hotel with
a man who was suspected to have overdosed on drugs. Police found
three clear plastic baggies with a white substance they suspected was
crystal meth in the room. The man – who maintains a profile as a
gay male escort on Rent Men – was treated at a nearby hospital.
Gillum, the former mayor of
Tallahassee, said that he had had too much to drink but did not use
drugs. Days later, he announced that he would enter rehab and exit
politics.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, commended Gillum on coming
out.
“No matter the circumstances, all
people deserve respect,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a
tweet. “@AndrewGillum sharing his story will no doubt help others
who may be struggling with coming out on their own terms.”