Nation's first openly gay governor embarks on book tour  | News | Advocate.com

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September 20, 2006
Nation's first openly gay governor embarks on book tour
Nation's first openly gay governor embarks on book tour

Former New Jersey governor James McGreevey, who resigned in 2004 over a gay extramarital affair, is touting his newly released memoir Tuesday with an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's show and a nationwide book tour. His book, The Confession, hits stores Tuesday, coinciding with the airing of his hour-long interview on the Chicago-based television show.

McGreevey, 49, who announced his resignation on August 12, 2004, writes in the book that he was forced to quit after a man he loved, who was put on the state payroll as homeland security adviser, threatened to reveal the governor's homosexuality unless he was paid millions to stay quiet. Two years later, McGreevey says he's moved on and is now in a committed relationship with Australian-born financier Mark O'Donnell.

McGreevey on Tuesday acknowledged that his book contains some "messy, shameful, sinful" passages, adding that he felt he had to come clean about his personal and political life. "The danger is when people have to act out in dark shadows," McGreevey said. "If people can be who they are in the bright light of day, can celebrate their uniqueness, their individuality in public, and be held to the same rules, that's what promotes a moral fabric in a society." (AP)

(An exclusive interview with Jim McGreevey appears in the October 10 issue of The Advocate, on newsstands September 26.)

© 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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