In my view, the fact that a gay politician feels free to run for public office is a sign of societal progress. Last week, Jim Neal, the Democratic challenger for the Senate seat held by Elizabeth Dole , announced both his campaign and his sexual orientation.
In response to a message on BlueNC.com asking whether he was gay, Neal is quoted as saying:
“I am indeed. No secret and no big deal to me – I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think otherwise.”
He continued: “I’m not running this race to make some social statement. I’m running to lead in the Senate for the voters in NC – something Sen. Dole has not done.”
He’s cute too, not that this is an important factor in political decisions, but just to mention it . . .
Many Happy Returns 
“feels free” to run–that’s an interesting way to put it. i wonder how often gay men and women hold themselves back from doing things straight people do — like run for public office — because they fear the worst from right-wing idealogues. i hope that more and more often gay people will “feel free” to disallow their sexuality from becoming a handicap.