By Vicki Lawson
BAKERSFIELD, CA- “I am gay. And those are the words that are so difficult for me to say. I don’t believe that I felt with my heart that being gay affects how I do my job,” said State Senator Roy Ashburn (R-Twentynine Palms) to a Bakersfield-based radio station and also was broadcast on Los Angeles’ KCAL-TV Channel 9 during their 2:00 newscast.
Ashburn, of the State Senate district 18, which serves Bakersfield, Twentynine Palms, Needles and Barstow, is the largest in California. The 55-year-old father of four girls has been married in the past and is also a devout Roman Catholic. He had asked those who supported him in the past to pray for him.
Ever since he was elected to the State Senate and other offices 14 years ago, Ashburn always opposed gay rights legislation in the State, including opposing gay marriage. He was outright in favor of Proposition 8, which limits marriage to one man and one woman and took away the right of same-sex couples to marry. He claims that he was voting along with his constituents, who influenced his votes.
On March 3rd, Ashburn took a state-owned vehicle to a gay bar in Sacramento, accompanied by a male companion. After leaving the bar, he was later caught drunk driving and was arrested. His Blood-Alcohol level was 0.14, which is .06 higher than the legal limit. His companion was not arrested.
A week before, Ashburn resigned from KERN radio, as he hosted a weekly radio show on that station. After the arrest was made public, website owners of the KERN station removed his page, citing embarrassment for their reason.