World
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
N.J. governor comes out, will resign November 15
N.J. governor:
"I am a gay American"
New Jersey governor James McGreevey acknowledged Thursday that he's gay, confessed to having an affair with a man, and announced that he will resign from office, one year before his term ends. Click here to read his complete remarks.
New Jersey governor James E. McGreevey confirmed on Thursday that he is gay, has had an extramarital affair with another man, and will resign from office on November 15, one year before his term ends.
"My truth is that I am a gay American," McGreevey said. "Shamefully, I engaged in an adult consensual affair with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony," said the married father of two daughters by two wives. His first marriage ended in divorce.
"I have decided the right course of action is to resign," McGreevey said. Although his coming out publicly is a moment that he wished would pass, he said, "it cannot and should not pass.
"This is an intensely personal decision and not one typically for the public domain," McGreevey said.
Rumors had been circulating for several years that McGreevey was gay, reaching the level of open hints on New Jersey talk-radio shows. The man involved in the affair, a former government employee, demanded "an exorbitant sum of money to make it go away," a high-ranking administration official told the Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity. Cabinet members and administration officials learned of that threat Wednesday night, the source said.
ABC News is reporting that the timing of McGreevey's announcement was determined by a lawsuit being filed today by Golan Cipel, a former adviser to the governor on homeland security. The lawsuit will reportedly allege sexual misconduct by the governor.
A former Israeli sailor and a published poet, Cipel also worked as a spokesman for the Israeli Consulate in New York. He was originally hired as McGreevey's lead security adviser in February 2002. He resigned a month later after questions were raised about his background but was kept on the government payroll at $110,000 a year. For months the administration refused to say what Cipel did for the state. He was seldom seen in public and was often the topic of intrigue among the media.
The Advocate will continue to update this story as details become available.
McGreevey, 47, the state's 51st governor, took office 2-1/2 years ago, and despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans, instead raising taxes on millionaires, casinos, and cigarettes. But he has been dogged by several scandals involving fund-raising.
McGreevey, a Democrat, rose from suburban mayor to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, maintaining a power base after he narrowly lost to Republican Christie Whitman in 1997. McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.
Born in Jersey City, McGreevey graduated from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University a year later. After briefly serving as a county prosecutor, McGreevey became a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company, then a state government official. While in the legislature, McGreevey voted for Gov. Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax hike, which prompted a voter rebellion against Democrats.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM
George Santos leaves Republican Party, will run for House seat as independent
March 22 2024 4:07 PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces she has cancer
March 22 2024 2:57 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedProhibition Wellness & revolutionizing self-care for all
March 22 2024 1:19 PM
Biden sacrifices LGBTQ+ Pride flags at U.S. embassies to pass 'critical' spending bill
March 22 2024 12:37 PM
Tennessee bill would permit anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptee parents
March 22 2024 11:54 AM
Plus
Yahoo Feed8 dating tips for gay men from a gay psychotherapist
March 22 2024 11:51 AM
Trans woman assailed during Kanye West's Rolling Loud set beats back 'bullies' (exclusive)
March 22 2024 11:34 AM
Out Congress members outraged as anti-LGBTQ+ bills advance
March 21 2024 6:59 PM
RuPaul shades 'masculine white gay men' who project 'internalized homophobia'
March 21 2024 5:43 PM
Alabama forces universities to implement trans bathroom ban while outlawing DEI
March 21 2024 3:55 PM
'Cruel' Nebraska senator investigated after using colleague's name in a rape scene
March 21 2024 3:51 PM
Police arrest Russian nightclub employees over drag show
March 21 2024 2:24 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedUnleash your fiery spirit with The Pride Store’s Aries gift guide
March 21 2024 2:08 PM
Cable news coverage of 2023 anti-trans bills lacked trans voices: Media Matters
March 21 2024 12:45 PM