new leaf on life

Is This The Real Beginning of Roy Ashburn’s Turnaround Tour?

Is it too bad that California State Sen. Roy Ashburn is terming out in a few months? Because he’s finally starting to sound like somebody I might want to elect as a lawmaker.

We’ve already heard from Ashburn try to explain his anti-gay voting record while being a homosexual. And he’s used what limited power he has that remains to do things like voting to recognize June as LGBT Pride Month. But there’s not much ground Ashburn can make up for the things he voted against during his tenure; Equality California’s Geoff Kors previously estimated Ashburn “voted on the wrong side of 30 to 40 gay rights-related bills, including no on Assembly Bill 14 in 2007, which Kors said prohibited discrimination against gays in public places including bars, and no on Assembly Bill 394 in 2007, which Equality California says helped ensure full implementation of school safety standards regarding harassment and discrimination.”

Legislatively, he’ll never be able to reverse his earlier damage. But the guy isn’t dead. He might be leaving one office, but there’s a whole world out there for guys like Ashburn, and it isn’t called the board of directors of Exodus International. He’s been politically humiliated, but Ashburn still carries some currency in California. And he’d be a great RSVP for all the parties to be thrown following Judge Vaughn Walker ruling Prop 8 is unconstitutional.

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