Georgia state Representative Rashad
Taylor acknowledged he's gay after a man accused him of sexual
misconduct.
“I've spent the last few days with my
family and my friends and my pastor. I needed to sit down with them
and tell them what I've come to tell you and my constituents. And
that is that I'm a gay man,” Taylor told reporters on Friday at a
news conference organized by the gay rights group Georgia Equality.
Taylor's coming out was prompted by an
email send to dozens of lawmakers accusing the Atlanta Democrat of
trading state funds and lobbyist gifts for sexual favors.
According to ABC affiliate WSBTV,
Jermaine Callahan has since backtracked on those claims, admitting he
has no proof. Callahan has said his allegations were based on
second-hand information.
Taylor denied the claims and went on to
chide Callahan's actions.
“The gentleman who wrote the emails
is the former partner of the person I am now seeing. And he hoped
that he wold humiliate and embarrass me by sending this email.”
“He alleges that I somehow improperly
used my office. While I don't pretend to understand exactly what
he's talking about, I have nothing to hide. These allegations are
absolutely and utterly false.”
Taylor added that he should have come
out sooner.
“For too long … I believed that
being gay was something to hide. It was something to ignore. That
it was something wrong with me. And unfortunately that attitude is
all too prevalent within the gay community.”
“I will not buy into the idea that
being gay is something to be ashamed of,” he said. (The video is
embedded in the right panel of this page.)