Californian Republican state senator Roy Ashburn, who has consistently voted against gay rights measures during his 14 years in the state Legislature, has come out as gay.
He was arrested on Mar 3 on suspicion of drink driving.
The 55-year-old divorced father of four came out in an interview with KERN-AM radio in Bakersfield, the area he represents.
"I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long," Ashburn told radio host Inga Barks. He was responding to her question: “Do you want me to ask you . . . the question, or do you want to just tell people?"
His statement follows days of intense scrutiny of Ashburn's personal life after a Sacramento television station reported that Ashburn was at a popular gay dance club that night and several people have said they have seen the senator at gay bars in the city. He did not confirm that he was at a gay club the night of his arrest, but said, "through my own actions I made my personal life public."
Media reports have focused on his sexual orientation because Ashburn has one of the staunchest records of voting against bills that would expand rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Californians.
He however defended his voting record, saying he cast votes that his constituents wanted.
Equality California, a group that advocates for expanded gay rights and other issues, said in a statement that the senator has consistently received a zero percent on the organisation’s Legislative Scorecards since 2004, with the exception of 2007, when he scored 10 percent.
According to media reports, he had notably voted against a number of gay rights measures, including efforts to expand anti-discrimination laws and recognise out-of-state gay marriages. In 2005, Ashburn, like all but one other Republicans in the Senate, voted against a bill that would have allowed same-sex marriage in California. The bill was later vetoed by the governor. Last year, he opposed a bill to establish a day of recognition to honor slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk.
The group's executive director, Geoff Kors, said Monday that he hopes the senator's revelation will lead him to change his voting patterns.
"He's still the same person, only living more honestly," Kors said. "I hope his own self-awareness will result in him no longer voting to deny people the most basic rights."