Democratic New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey came out of the closet Aug. 12, acknowledged an adulterous same-sex affair, and resigned, effective Nov. 15.
'At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world,' McGreevey said. 'My truth is that I am a gay American.
'I am also here today because, shamefully, I engaged in an adult, consensual affair with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony,' the governor said. 'It was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable. And for this I ask the forgiveness and the grace of my wife.
'The fact of this affair, and my own sexuality, if kept secret, leaves me, and most importantly the governor's office, vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure,' McGreevey said. 'So I am removing these threats by telling you directly about my sexuality. Let me be clear, I accept total and full responsibility for my actions.
'However, I am required to do now—to do what is right, to correct the consequences of my actions,' he said. 'It makes little difference that as governor, I am gay. In fact, having the ability truthfully to set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations. Given the circumstances surrounding the affair, and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign. To facilitate a responsible transition, my resignation will be effective on November 15 of this year.'
Reports said McGreevey was about to be sued by his former homeland security advisor, Golan Cipel, for sexual misconduct.
McGreevey did not identify Cipel as the man he had the affair with but news reports did.
A top member of McGreevey's administration 'said Cipel threatened McGreevey with a sexual harassment lawsuit unless he was paid millions of dollars,' the Associated Press reported.
Newark's Star-Ledger reported, 'Three administration sources said that a lawyer representing McGreevey, William Lawler, called the FBI in Newark [the morning of Aug. 12] to say Cipel was attempting to extort money from the governor.'
Derided by the media and others as unqualified for his job, Cipel resigned in 2002 following months of controversy about his suitability for the position.
On Aug. 13, Cipel released a statement which said, in part: 'While employed by one of the most powerful politicians in the country, New Jersey Governor McGreevey, I was the victim of repeated sexual advances by him. Such conduct and McGreevey's behavior caused me such emotional distress and turmoil. ... When I finally dared to reject Governor McGreevey's advances, the retaliatory actions taken by him and members of his administration were nothing short of abuse and intimidation.
'After a long period of pain and introspection, I realized that in order to live my life, to move forward with my life, I needed to put this behind me,' Cipel said. 'But the only way to do this was to have Governor McGreevey take responsibility publicly for his horrible actions, which he did by resigning from public office. I am somewhat vindicated to see the person who abused his power take responsibility for the harm he has caused and sincerely hope that this situation will serve to encourage women and men—victims—to not be afraid to take action against individuals in positions of power who oppress or harass those subordinate to them.'
Cipel later told an Israeli newspaper that he is not gay.
McGreevey has spoken against same-sex marriage, saying it would have a 'detrimental impact' on the state. But he also signed into law New Jersey's Domestic Partnership Act, which grants registered same-sex couples many of the rights of matrimony. The law, which took effect in July, is one of only five such statewide laws in the U.S.
A Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers poll showed the governor's approval rating was 45 percent, two points higher than in a similar poll two weeks earlier. Sixty percent believed there was 'more to the story,' while 58 percent said the governor has more to reveal about his personal life. And 41 percent of those polled were not surprised to learn that their governor is gay.
REACTIONS
'I think gayness is being used,' Alan Rosenthal told the Associated Press. He is a professor of political science at Rutgers University, the leading state school in New Jersey. 'It's not the root cause of his resignation. And it's certainly not the root cause of McGreevey's demise.' He laid the resignation to an accumulation of scandals and ineptitudes.
'The fact that he's gay is the least of his problems,' gay writer Eric Marcus told The New York Times. 'And I'm not quite sure where his coming out fits into all of this. I don't think it reflects well on gay people.'
'Here is a man who chose to hide who he was, came out under pressure because he had engaged in an adulterous affair, had given his romantic partner a government job. It's not exactly a moment I think anybody who has been involved in the gay-rights movement can take pride in.'
— Also contributing: Bob Roehr
