Roy Ashburn Wins BuzzFlash's GOP Hypocrite of the Week Award for Being Gay and Anti-Gay at the Same Time

Roy Ashburn

Welcome back to BuzzFlash's GOP Hypocrite of the Week.

It all started last week when California state Senator Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) was picked up by police for drunk driving. Later it came out that he was leaving a gay club in the company of an unidentified man.

Three days later, the Republican lawmaker and divorced father of four admitted to being gay on a local radio show. Ashburn also said he stood by all his anti-gay votes -- get this -- because his constituents made him do it.

Now generally, a Republican who gets caught in such a situation will blame his sexual orientation on some sort of sickness and promise to repent, leaving his anti-gay votes totally accounted for. Ashburn's unusual story has set off a debate over whether the man is being hypocritical or not.

As one of the Web's preeminent experts on GOP hypocrisy, we'd like to clear that one up for you all: Yes, Roy Ashburn is a hypocrite.

As the folks at Queerty point out, the constituency argument is totally ridiculous:

While voting to affirm Prop 8 and refuse to recognize gay marriages from outside the state, Ashburn says he was only voting the will of his constituents. Which is the most reasonable excuse he has — but it's still not a rationalization. Because voting for discrimination (or against its removal) is never okay, no matter what you think voters believe.

While it's important to listen to one's constituents, we elect informed representatives so that they can make some of the tough, moral choices that we reserve for the smart, principled people that politicians are supposed to be. Otherwise, why would we even bother with electing other people? After all, if we relied solely on public opinion, the president's parents' marriage would have been illegal.

Oh, and on that election thing, does Ashburn really think that anti-gay voters would elect a gay representative, even if he is a total bigot?

Gay people have every right to deny themselves legal, government-recognized relationships. But denying such a thing to other gay people is a matter of civil rights and discrimination, not personal marital taste.

Also, it's important to remember that some of Ashburn's anti-gay votes had more to do with being spiteful than what his constituents were crying out for. Voting against formally recognizing the amazing life of California's Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to office? That's just needlessly vindictive, and an illustration of how far Ashburn felt he needed to go in order to hide his true orientation. If Ashburn truly believed in traditional family values, what would be so offensive about allowing gays to adopt orphaned children or funding AIDS research?

We can feel sorry for Ashburn screwing up his own life, but messing up the lives of thousands of Californians is unforgivable. And that's why Roy Ashburn is this week's GOP Hypocrite.

Remember our motto: So many Republican hypocrites, so little time.

Catch up with you soon.

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This is Roy Ashburn's first GOP Hypocrite of the Week Award. Welcome to the club! You can see a list of all previous winners here.