State Rep. Rashad Taylor, D-Atlanta, on Friday announced that he is gay, becoming the third openly gay member of the General Assembly.
Taylor, in a news conference at the offices of Georgia Equality, said he felt compelled to make the announcement after an e-mail was circulated to state lawmakers this week accusing Taylor of being gay and of using his position in the Legislature to solicit sexual relationships.
Taylor denied the allegations of improper conduct. The author of the e-mail, who signed his name as "J. Callahan," hung up on a reporter from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and would not provide proof of his claims. Callahan asked for and received instructions from state officials on how to file an official ethics complaint against Taylor, but no complaint has been filed, House Ethics Committee Chairman Joe Wilkinson, R-Sandy Springs, said.
Taylor said that the man who sent the e-mail is the former partner of the person Taylor is now dating.
"Although this is not the time or the way that I wanted to come out, I feel actually very lucky, thanks to all the support I've received," Taylor said, surrounded by fellow lawmakers, friends and family. "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."
Taylor said he has "denied for so long an essential part of who I am," but said making the announcement is a relief. He acknowledged that had it not been for the e-mail, he would not have come out publicly.
"My heart is at ease," he said. "I'm really at peace with it. Tonight's sleep will probably be the best sleep I've had in 12 or 13 years."
As for Callahan's allegations, written in a rambling message, Taylor said he was dumbfounded.
"While I don't pretend to understand what he's talking about, I have nothing to hide," he said. "These allegations are absolutely false."
Told that he is now the first openly gay man in the General Assembly, Taylor smiled.
"I guess I'll put that in my bio now," he said.
About the Author
