➤ AARON SCHOCK, from p.20
nesota and then in Illinois, explaining that he
“thrived in this environment” in many ways.
“I’m sure I knew other gay people in those
years of growing up, but I don’t think any of us
were aware of it,” he wrote. “I understood that
the teachings of my upbringing were pretty
clear on the matter. Because of it, as I got older
and fi rst felt myself drawn in the direction of
my natural orientation, I didn’t want to think
about it…”
He also opened up about his time in the nation’s
capital, saying he enjoyed the attention
he received in Washington, DC, while also complaining
about news stories that compared the
appearance of his expensively-redecorated congressional
offi ce to the television show “Downton
Abbey,” a program he says “I’d never even
heard of and still haven’t seen.”
Schock went on to complain about the way
he was portrayed in the media, saying articles
during his time in Congress tied him “to a stereotype”
and that “it was another way, albeit
more sophisticated, to be teased about being
gay. A dog whistle.”
He claims he considered coming out while
in offi ce but assumed that news would not be
received well by his constituents in his Peoriabased
district.
Schock, who resigned from his seat in 2015,
was fi rst elected to the Illinois State Legislature
in 2005 and remained there until 2009, at
which point he rose to the US House of Representatives
from that state’s 18th Congressional
District. He was initially viewed as a young rising
star in the Republican Party.
But after he became embroiled in legal trouble
and subsequently resigned, he was suddenly no
longer the Republican poster child anymore. He
now blames prosecutors for keeping him in the
closet thanks to their investigation.
“But the government’s tactics in prosecuting
my case made it obvious that coming out would
be better discussed after the charges against
me were dropped,” he wrote. “It was ironic and
painful; just as I was fi nally ready to come out
of the closet, it felt as though someone had
locked the door.”
According to his Instagram post, Schock fi rst
intended to come out as gay to his family last
year before announcing the news to the public.
He said he was heading home to come out to
his mother when she heard about his sexual
orientation because of the Coachella video clips
and told him he was not welcome there. She has
since changed her tune, according to Schock,
who said she recently told him that “if there is
anyone special in my life, she wants to meet
them.”
Near the conclusion of his note, Schock said
it is “never too late to be authentic and true to
yourself.”
That is, unless you’ve already spent years attacking
millions of LGBTQ Americans.
At that point it probably is too late.
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