At a Friday press conference in Atlanta, Georgia Democratic State Representative Rashad Taylor showed what true courage and leadership looked like, and came out as Georgia’s first gay male state representative. Rep. Taylor is now the third openly gay legislator in Georgia, joining Rep. Simone Bell, America’s first black lesbian state representative, and Karla Drenner, the first gay state representative in the Deep South.
Taylor was already an up-and-comer in Georgia politics. At 30 years old, Taylor is Georgia’s youngest state representative, the Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, and was recently named as one of the nation’s “Rising Stars” in politics by Campaigns and Elections Magazine. A Morehouse alum, Taylor cut his political teeth as an aide to Senator Max Cleland and Congressman John Lewis, and was previously the political director of the Georgia Democratic Party.
Making his announcement now wasn’t the most politically prudent move for Taylor. With Republicans controlling the upcoming redistricting process, the safe bet would have been for Taylor to wait and see what his new district looked like, and focus on winning re-election in a changed and possibly unfriendly district.
Unfortunately, Taylor’s announcement wasn’t exactly planned. A spurned ex-boyfriend of Taylor’s current partner emailed a slew of spurious claims to a state ethics committee. The accuser has not offered a single piece of evidence to back up his claims, has admitted that he has no direct knowledge of the allegations, and has failed to follow up with an official ethics complaint. With nothing but a few semi-anonymous emails by a questionable source, Taylor could have simply ignored the story and swept it under the rug.
Instead, Taylor faced the issue head on, and made his historic announcement at Georgia Equality’s headquarters:
“As a black man, it can be a struggle to find acceptance within the community and at times with myself as well. I’m proud of the man my mother has raised, and I make no apologies for who I am.”
I was lucky enough to have known Rashad years and years ago, and I can attest that he’s not only hilarious over a few drinks, but he has always been a true believer in civil rights and equality. I cheered when I saw Rashad’s announcement today, as he is now living up to his potential of becoming one of the next generation’s political and civil rights leaders, as well as serving as a much needed counterweight to the completely insane Rep. Bobby Franklin.
Picture from Rep. Taylor’s Legislative Website.
