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Former lawmaker Aaron Schock took to Instagram to talk about his sexuality on Thursday. He made a lengthy post confirming that he’s gay.
“I am gay,” he posted. “For those who know me and for many who only know of me, this will come as no surprise.”
Who Is Aaron Schock?
Schock is a former politician who was Republican U.S. Rep. for Illinois’s from 2009 until 2015. He became the youngest member of Congress when he took his position in 2009.
He served the position until 2015 when he got involved in a controversy involving his use of campaign and public funds.
A congressional investigation found that “he used taxpayer money to fund lavish trips and events”. He was indicted on fraud charges in November 2016 for his involvement in the scandal.
He pled not guilty and reached an agreement with prosecutors in March 2019. As a result, he had to pay $100,000 in restitution after which all charges including mail and wire fraud, filing false federal tax returns, making false statements, theft of government funds were dropped.
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More About the Announcement
Schock wrote about his family and background in the detailed post. He talked about “growing up in the rural Midwest in a family centered in a faith and its particular traditions.”
He mentioned the reaction of his friends and family members saying “it was unwelcome news to every single person in my family.”
Aaron Schock’s announcement came as a surprise to many because he had always opposed LGBTQ rights and had openly criticized gay marriages. He was also against repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of the US military.
In his post, he pointed out his previous mistakes and said:
“In 2008, as a Republican running in a conservative district, I took the same position on gay marriage held by my party’s nominee, John McCain. That position against marriage equality, though, was also then held by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as well.”
He added, “that fact doesn’t make my then position any less wrong, but it’s sometimes easy to forget that it was leaders of both parties who for so long wrongly understood what it was to defend the right to marry.”
Schock promised to support the community in the future. He added:
“If I was in Congress today, I would support LGBTQ rights in every way I could. I realize that some of my political positions run very much counter to the mainstream of the LGBTQ movement, and I respect them for those differences. I hope people will allow for me the same.”
Aaron Schock’s announcement makes him one of the few openly gay politicians.
