Guido Westerwelle (right) the Foreign Minister of Germany with his partner Michael Mronz (left). Photo: Nordbruch
What is this about?
Coming out as gay when you are a public figure.
The early months of 2006 saw a leadership campaign for the UK Liberal Democrat Party in which two candidates were outed as bisexuals. One had to withdraw from the leadership race, then the second was hounded until he also came out. This came some years after in the Labour Party several openly gay MPs had risen to the level of Cabinet Minister and performed their duties without any apparent problems.
In Ireland in 2011 Senator David Norris, who is openly gay, stood for President of Ireland and faced hostile and dirty campaigns based on his previous conduct and opinions given in an interview, which caused his campaign to be abandoned when he lost key supporters.
In the UK and most western European countries being homosexual or bisexual is no bar to being elected or to becoming a high official. For those who have been out all their working and political lives there is, of course no problem. The problems are for those who have perhaps been in political life longer and have created the image of a conventional life while living a double life and being afraid that their electorates will reject them, etc.
There seem to be three main ways of handling your sexuality in public life:
Full openness
Build an image and have a secret life
Just get on with it and don’t discuss your sexuality.
Gay Activist is not in the position to lecture people how they should live their lives and whether or not they should come out. That’s a personal decision for each individual in public life, and they have to consider their own circumstances, how their party would feel, how their colleagues would be affected and especially what impact it will have on the people they love.
However, some trends in society are worth noting as they could impact on your potential career in public life.
The public are getting fed up and intolerant of being lied to or other pretence.
Public officials who have been “forced out” often later report that there is a weight off their mind and they feel much happier.
Being gay or lesbian is no longer a bar to being appointed a Minister in any of the major parties in Western Europe.
In some cities where there are large gay and lesbian populations there is enhanced chance of getting re-elected if you are open.
Back in the 1950s MPs were able to have a double life and evade prosecution because of their status while their constituents who were gay were being rounded up, criminalised and harassed. Those days must never come back. As a public official, with both a responsibility to serve your community and to help it to prosper, the best way of ensuring that is to be open and honest with people, including about your sexuality.
An example of this at work is the success of Klaus Wowereit, who has held the post of Mayor of Berlin.
Page updated 2 June 2012
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