As I Climbed The Electoral Ladder -

Of All My False Identities, The Strategies In My Campaign To Be Accepted, Being A Sworn Republican Is The Hardest To Explain. In My Later Political Life, I Can Only Be Described As A Kennedy Democrat, Eager To Pursue Equitable Treatment For The Least Fortunate.

No Relief Was Forthcoming From My Then-catholic Faith, Which Said The Practice Of Homosexuality Was A 'mortal Sin' Subject To Damnation.

But Being In The Closet Uniquely Assisted Me In Politics. From My First Run For The State Legislature Until My Election As Governor, All Too Often I Was Not Leading But Following My Best Guess At Public Opinion.

The Arc Of American History Almost Inevitably Moves Toward Freedom. Whether It's Lincoln And The Emancipation Proclamation, The Expansion Of Women's Rights Or, Now, Gay Rights, I Think There Is An Almost-inevitable March Toward Greater Civil Liberties.

Being Gay Is A Fundamental Part Of My Being - The Core Of Who I've Always Been, And The Thing That I Had Repressed And Run From All My Life.