The sexual orientation and voting record of state Sen. Roy Ashburn exploded into national news Thursday, the day after he was arrested on misdemeanor drunk driving charges in Sacramento. Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, did not return calls again Thursday seeking an explanation of the events leading up to his arrest and the Sacramento television report that launched nationwide speculation that the veteran lawmaker is gay and therefore a hypocrite for voting against gay-rights bills.
Ashburn has taken a personal leave from the Senate for an unknown length of time, his spokesman said. The Californian has asked Ashburn about his sexual orientation in the past. He has either questioned the relevance of the issue or dodged it altogether. The newspaper did not report the comments at the time, also deciding it was not relevant.
That all changed Thursday after Sacramento television station CBS13 quoted unnamed sources as saying Ashburn was arrested after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento. Like a fast-moving wildfire, other television stations and bloggers nationwide including the Huffington Post and FoxNews.com reported the same, many citing CBS13′s story.
Full Story from Bakersfield.com
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