@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell 1) I served as press secretary for Rep Congressman Jim Kolbe from 1996 to 1999, so I was there when Michelangelo Signorile threatened to out every "closeted" member of the House & Senate who dared to vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act.
@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell 2) I knew Jim was gay before I interviewed for the job. Having spent a dozen years working as a PR exec in Hollywood, where it seemed every third person was gay, I couldn't imagine anyone would have the gall to weaponize a person's sexual orientation against him/her.
@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell 3) I'll admit I was politically naive to the ways of Washington. In Jim's Southern Arizona district, where I was based, numbers of registered Democrats, Republicans & Independents have long been roughly equivalent. But one thing all folks respect is a person's right to privacy.
@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell 4) Although it may seem incongruous in retrospect, back in 1996 those same voters overwhelming supported the Arizona Defense of Marriage Act. And, when the House brought the federal DOMA to the floor, Jim decided his duty was to represent the expressed will of his constituents.
@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell 5) As soon as Jim voted "Aye," he was a marked man. A "The Advocate" called me, and Jim agreed to be interviewed in his Washington office. The subject of his sexual orientation came up, Jim explained that he was elected to represent and advocate for his constituents, not himself.
@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell 6) If those who tried and failed to blackmail Jim to influence his DOMA vote were now going to "punish" him by labeling him the "Gay Republican Congressman," I advised him to beat them to the punch and make a public statement, and trust in the good will of his constituents.
@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell That was then: This is now. We've ALL come a long, long way. DOMA is no more. Jim retired from Congress in 2007 and is remembered fondly by the people of Southern Arizona. And in 2013 he married his long-time partner, Hector Alfonso.
@brokebackUSA @KAG11816 @RichardGrenell @threadreaderapp unroll 1) I served as press secretary
