Archetypical American Political Hopeful Also A Homo

AB: Why did you join the Boy Scouts when you became a kid? I understand you became an Eagle Scout very early; you were very dedicated…

ML: I joined scouting – my brother was in Boy Scouts, and both of my sisters were active in Girl Scouts, so scouting was an integral part of our upbringing. I found scouting later in life to be my outlet, and when I say “later in life,” I’m talking about as a young teenager. I had a pronounced lisp, so I was picked on in school, so that was my sanctuary, basically. I felt that I belonged there, it was a comrarderie, a brotherhood; it was somewhere where I felt that I could focus my energies and feel a part of group.

AB: How old were you when you came out?

ML: Actually, I didn’t come out. I was forced out, in the military.

AB: And what happened there?

ML: I was witch hunted.

AB: Was it a retaliatory sort of situation or did you get caught up in a lavender scare?

ML: It was prior to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, in 1987. Basically the rationale was that because I wasn’t having sex with women, the question came up.

AB: And that was encouraged – to have sex with women and boast about it?

ML: Pretty much. “The good ol’ boy.”

AB: Was religion a factor in staying in the closet?

ML: Um. I would say it was probably one of the factors.

AB: And what were the others?

ML: Peer pressure. You want to fit in – wanting a sense of belonging.

AB: When did you know that gay people existed?

ML: I mean, I’ve always known I was gay.

AB: Every gay person feels that difference, but there’s always a time when you realize what that difference in fact is…

ML: In high school. When did I know that I was gay would be around middle school. And when did I know that there were other gay people out there or know some? High school, but everybody was closeted back then.

AB: After high school, you were nominated by Republican Representative E. Clay Shaw to go to the Merchant Marine Academy. I don’t know his politics at the time, but he later came out against gay politics and was a Republican stalwart – was there any cognitive dissonance in your mind?

ML: I’ll be honest, I’d never been a fan of his. When you’re graduating high school and you’re looking for opportunities for college and that was one of my opportunities and since I was an Eagle Scout and had been brought up through the ranks of Boy Scouts, it felt like a natural progression for me to enter into the military. I’ve never agreed with his political ideology.

Communications Director Stephen Gaskill: Hey, Andrew, I’m sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to say that in the context of the times, Clay Shaw was, until he was defeated in 2006, extremely popular and pretty well-known. He’s pretty much a fixture here in Florida politics, so even at the time that Mark was applying, fifteen years ago, he was – I don’t want to say “an icon,” but really almost was South Florida politics.

AB: Okay, well, thank you for that. Mark, back to being forced out, how did you family take it?

ML: I didn’t come out to my parents until a year after I was outed. I was witch hunted in July of ’87, I was not officially discharged until December 24th and I did not even tell my parents until August of the following year.

AB: After you told them the truth, was it chill or not a cool scene?

ML: It was not good, no. I had received a Congressional appointment for the Merchant Marine Academy and I ended up leaving the Academy because of harassment and then I went into the Coast Guard figuring that if I went in as a non-rate, I’d be under the radar. You have to understand that I was still living with the burden of having to leave the Academy which is, for all intents and purpose, giving up a four-year scholarship. So, I came back home and they were disappointed already, and the Coast Guard just kind of compounded the situation.

AB: Right. And what about now?

ML: Now is much better. My parents have had a long learning curve. My brother and my sisters is a much different story. We’ve always been very close growing up, so they were very concerned and have always been supportive. My parents are just from a different generation, so it has taken them a lot longer, but they’re extremely supportive now and we’ve never had a better relationship.