TRB From Washgton: AtwatergateJuly 3, 1989Former Hoe Speaker Tom Foley died today at age 84. Foley led the Hoe of Reprentativ between 1989 and the Republin revolutn of 1994. A few days before he beme speaker, a sndal epted over a Republin Natnal Commtee memo entled "Tom Foley: Out of the Liberal Closet" and parg the Spokane Congrsman to openly gay Massachetts R...
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MY LIFE AS A GAY CONGRSMAN
Though I was a third term Democratic ngrsman om Massachetts, I had lived too long wh the burn of “the gay thg” to treat g out as a polil matter alone. I’d felt shame as I watched younger gay men and lbians nont the bigots openly wh a urage that I lacked. They remaed mted to the “le” that proment people should not be outed unls they had been enmhed a gay-related sndal, but they were unrstandably eager to break the story.
I nsistently said no—I didn’t ny I was gay but voked their own nondisclosure prciple. His primary ncern was outlawg abortn, but he had followed the nservative movement’s anti-gay le as well.
His nial of his homosexualy was universally—and accurately—disbelieved, and he was feated for reelectn that year. In his memoir scribg his own gay life, he ced my attendance at a gay pri rally the pany of a iend whom he accurately assumed was a romantic attachment.
WHEN LEE ATWATER AND A NEWT GGRICH AI TRIED TO GAY-BA TOM FOLEY
No one readg uld miss the clear import: I was a gay man who enjoyed a media silence that he had been nied. “Tip, ” I said, “Bob Bman has jt wrten a book that says I’m gay.