HomoQuotable - Roy Ashburn

"I should begin with an apology. I am sincerely sorry for the votes I cast and the actions I took that harmed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Just as important to me, I am sorry for not stepping forward and speaking up as an elected official on behalf of equal treatment for all people. For nearly 26 years, the voters in my area of California trusted me as their elected representative. I look back now knowing there is so much more I could have done to inform the public about LGBT people and to fight for equal rights under the law. Regrettably and selfishly, I took another path in my life and political career—I chose to conceal who I truly am and to then actually vote against the best interests of people like me. All this was done because I was afraid–terrified, really–that somehow I would be revealed as gay.

"My past actions harmed gay people. In fact, all people are harmed when there is unequal treatment of anyone under the constitution and laws of our country. I do not believe in discrimination, and yet my votes advanced unequal of treatment of gay people and promoted the suspicion and fear that limits people from being forthright and accepted in society.

"Now, from what I have lived and learned, I want to do the best that I can to advance equality and freedom for all people. Given the shame and confusion that many feel over their sexual orientation, perhaps my situation can serve as an example of both the harm that can come from denial and fear, and the opportunity to try to make things right." - Recently outed CA Sen. Roy Ashburn, continuing his campaign of apologies with a lengthy essay for Gay Politics.

HomoQuotable - CA Sen. Roy Ashburn

"The best I can do is to say that I was hiding. I was so in terror I could not allow any attention to come my way. So any measure that had to do with the subject of sexual orientation was an automatic "no" vote. I was paralyzed by this fear, and so I voted without even looking at the content. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of people under the law, regardless of our skin color, national origin, our height, our weight, our sexual orientation. This is a nation predicated on the belief that there is no discrimination on those characteristics, and so my vote denied people equal treatment, and I'm truly sorry for that." - CA state Sen. Roy Ashburn, continuing his apology campaign.

Ashburn, who says he has stopped drinking since his DUI arrest, says that over the year before being outed, he had become increasingly bold and had even attended gay pride events in Las Vegas and San Diego.

PhoboQuotable - Randy Thomasson

"We said Ashburn was untrustworthy, and now he's proving it. Although he pledged he'd vote according to the values of his district, he's thrown his constituents under the bus, replacing his loyalty to them with his overriding loyalty to the homosexual agenda and his new identity. Sadly, Roy Ashburn has elevated his personal feelings and personal agenda above doing what's right. He is the opposite of a public servant." - Save California executive douchenozzle Randy Thomasson, reacting to yesterday's vote by newly out CA Sen. Roy Ashburn, who approved a resolution endorsing LGBT Pride Month.

CA Sen. Roy Ashburn Has Gay Pride

For the first time in his life....

Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, joined enough Democrats in the state Senate today to approve a resolution declaring June 2010 Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender Pride Month. The Bakersfield Republican acknowledged publicly in March that he is homosexual. He had been arrested on a DUI after leaving a Sacramento gay bar and decided subsequently to reveal that he is gay. Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, is the author of SR 44, and she said Thursday she was joined in support for the resolution by Ashburn and Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. All three legislators are gay. The measure passed on a 25-9 vote.

Isn't it a beautiful feeling, Roy?

HomoQuotable - CA Sen. Roy Ashburn

"My practice in my entire political career when it came to gay issues was to prevent any kind of spotlight from being shined my way, because I was in hiding. So casting any kind of vote might, could in some way, lead to my secret being revealed. That was terrifying to me. It was paralyzing. So I cast some votes that have denied gay people of their basic, equal treatment under the law, and I'm not proud of it. I'm not going to do that again." - California state Sen. Roy Ashburn, admitting what we know to be true of any anti-gay politician. Welcome to the light, Roy. We look forward to you making amends.

VIDEO: NBC Los Angeles talks to Ashburn about his transformation.

Newly Out CA Sen. Roy Ashburn May Be Leaving The Dark Side

CA state Sen. Roy Ashburn (R), who was outed earlier this year after being arrested for DUI leaving a Sacramento gay bar, may slowly be seeing the light. Yesterday he voted for one of the two LGBT rights bills put before him and talked about being gay while doing so.

Two months after announcing he was gay, state Sen. Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield discussed his sexuality on the Senate floor and cast votes on two separate gay-rights bills. Ashburn was the only Republican senator to vote in support of allowing openly gay people to serve in the military, but he also voted against a bill that could remove a political obstacle to proposals to legalize same-sex marriage. Ashburn then took the unusual step of publicly explaining his votes on the Senate floor. "I would not have been speaking on a measure dealing with sexual orientation ever prior to the events that have transpired in my life over the last three months,’’ Ashburn told his colleagues. "However, I am no longer willing or able to remain silent on issues that affect sexual orientation and the rights of individuals. And so I am doing something that is quite different and foreign to me, and it’s highly emotional.’’

The resolution supporting the repeal of DADT passed easily. Ashburn's LGBT rights track record was previously a big fat gay goose egg. He will be term-limited out of office this year.

Michelangelo Signorile: Out Them ALL

Activist and SiriusXM host Michelangelo Signorile says that it's time that the gay community stops cloaking anti-gay politicians that are known to us to be gay themselves. Writing for the Advocate, Signorile uses the recent example of California state Sen. Roy Ashburn, who was outed by West Sacramento's openly gay mayor on Facebook, although few took notice.

West Sacramento’s Mayor Cabaldon notes that unnamed gay and lesbian lobbyists and other prominent LGBT people knew Ashburn was gay and protected him. He told me that several of these individuals angrily complained to him after his Facebook update and after he criticized Ashburn in the media following the state senator’s arrest. Those who protected Ashburn were selling out the community. In that sense, they’re just as guilty as Ashburn. Every gay person who knows the truth about closeted antigay politicans has a responsibility to speak up, as Mike Rogers does so fearlessly. This is no longer an issue that is debatable. No one’s privacy deserves respect when that person is working against our rights, and none of us should be complicit in keeping the secrets of these detestable individuals. The message has to be sent loud and clear: You are either with us or you are against us.

To paraphrase NYC's MTA, if you see something, motherfucking SAY something!

CA Sen. Roy Ashburn Earns "Pink Brick" Award From San Francisco Pride

San Francisco Pride has named Sen. Roy Ashburn as the 2010 "dishonoree" recipient of their Pink Brick Award, which is given annually to any person "whose actions are deemed to have caused significant harm to the LGBT community.”

"This is the very first time in Pink Brick Award history that an out gay person is the recipient," said Amy André, executive director of SF Pride in a written statement. "By selecting Sen. Roy Ashburn, the LGBT community is sending a strong message to the world that LGBT people -- especially those with the political power and privilege to further LGBT rights -- have a responsibility to work toward liberation for all." Past recipients of the award include former Miss California Carrie Prejean, San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer, Fox's Bill O'Reilly and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The president of Pride's board of directors, Mikayla Connell, said in a statement the brick award educates people about the importance of "aligning personal honesty with political action...." "We hope this year's Pink Brick recipient ... realizes that it's never to late for him -- or anyone else -- to choose liberation and justice over shame, fear and silence," she said.

In 2008 the Human Rights Campaign was nominated for a Pink Brick, but did not "win."

Roy Ashburn Sentenced For DUI

Formerly closeted California state Sen. Roy Ashburn has been sentenced to two days in jail and three years of probation for last month's DUI arrest as he left a Sacramento gay bar with a young Latino man in the front seat.

Ashburn entered his no contest plea to the misdemeanor charges Wednesday in Sacramento County Superior Court. He will also pay fines and fees of about $2,000, attend a mandatory first offender DUI program and have his license suspended for 30 days, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. "Ashburn received no lesser penalties associated with his crime than your average citizen," said Deputy District Attorney Robert Clancey. Ashburn was pulled over on March 3 shortly after 2 a.m. when CHP officers saw his state car driving in an erratic manner. A breath test was conducted and a subsequent blood test turned up a blood alcohol level of .15 percent. Under California law, a driver is under the influence with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent.

Asburn refused to resign after the scandal broke and has said he will continue his anti-gay voting habits, because that's what his constituents want. He will be term-limited out of office this year.