Former GOP Congressman Aaron Schock publicly came out as gay on Thursday morning.
You can read what he had to say here.
But if you do read his lengthy coming out note, here are two words you won’t find in any tense: “apology” and “sorry.”
Related: Former antigay Congressman Aaron Schock officially comes out as gay
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Schock attempts to justify his former opposition to gay marriage as being a product of the times. He does not address his other past antigay positions such as voting against lifting the ban on LGB people serving in the military and voting not to extend hate crime protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
In fact, his time in office earned him a 0% rating on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard.
So it’s not entirely surprising that folks online aren’t taking so well to his letter. Here’s some of the reaction on Twitter:
Gay people were ruthlessly mean to Aaron Schock on social media but today he still decided to join our campaign.
— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) March 5, 2020
Aaron Schock self report to jail challenge.
— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) March 5, 2020
Fuck this moron who resigned from Congress mainly because he screwed taxpayers on his expense account, Including but not limited to re-decorating his office Downton Abbey style. So help me goddess if i see her at pride. https://t.co/lr6ZSC9R3c
— Willam (@willam) March 5, 2020
Fmr GOP Rep. Aaron Schock wrote a Harry Potter length post coming out as gay and still did not apologize for his awful anti-LGBTQ record pic.twitter.com/Uf8U8zTaDG
— Adam (@AdamJSmithGA) March 5, 2020
Aaron Schock’s coming out opus just makes me sad. I’ve always been a “welcome” no matter what person, and I directly empathize with the religious rejection journey at any age, but we’ve been at this too long to not see the blatant calculations and machinations without apology.
— Emerson Collins (@ActuallyEmerson) March 5, 2020
Sorry but @aaronschock is the Uncle Tom of the gay community. He voted against federal protection of persons based on their sexuality and was a member of the GOP (until his nudes and Grindr messages were leaked almost a year ago)
He's a thirst trap without morals.
— Ryan Smith (@Rydsmith89) March 5, 2020
I'm fully willing to forgive #AaronSchock if he spends significant time trying to change the minds, platforms, and policies of Republicans on LGBT+ rights
— Survivor of Storms (@survivorostorms) March 5, 2020
Reminder that if prosecutors hadn’t completely botched the case, Aaron Schock would likely be in prison for using your taxpayer money to pay for massages and Katy Perry tickets. https://t.co/h7vs0fiZPF
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) March 5, 2020
Happy for Aaron Schock!!!! We needed more white gay villain representation!
— Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity) March 5, 2020
I'm glad @AaronSchock finally feels free to be his authentic self publicly, which everyone deserves, but in his long coming out, I saw a lot of defensiveness and excuses for his extensive anti-LGBTQ record in Congress and missing from it were two words:
"I'm sorry."
— Charlotte Clymer ???? (@cmclymer) March 5, 2020
Just to be clear, Aaron Schock's greyscale instagram notes app coming-out post still does not make it okay to fuck him.
— Connor Goldsmith (@dreamoforgonon) March 5, 2020
Aaron Schock wrote a long post about him coming out as gay and how worried he was telling his family and friends and whatever, but failed to even apologize to the LGBTQ community for the hatred he displayed towards us for MANY years. So he can fuck all the way off ?????
— david (@homesweethomo) March 5, 2020
Taiyoken
Am I the only one who just doesn’t care about this guy? Sure, on some level I pity him. He’s not the first gay to act against his own rights due to being raised homophobic and he won’t be the last.
djmcgamester
You got it. Apologies don’t seem to make a difference anyway.
astew0867
I agree. Can we just leave this man alone? Seriously, why does everyone care so much?? I know his voting record was bad. And, I’m not giving him a pass for that. But, are we seriously going to say that one 20 something no name congressman from backwoods Illinois put a knife in gay rights? Everybody, this website ESPECIALLY, were mercilessly badgering him to come out. And now, they’re gonna rip him apart because he wasn’t contrite enough. Move on ya’ll. There are much much bigger fish to fry.
Cam
@astew0867
And right on schedule ANOTHER brand new account shows up to try to paint Schock as the victim. Same guy, different screename.
dhmonarch89
‘Leave him alone’…he’s the one making public statements.
Hussain-TheCanadian
He deserves to be roasted, tarred and feathered by the gay community, the very community he attacked and harmed.
An apology is an acknowledgment of self evaluation, of regret, of wanting to make amends, a sign of personal growth, a sign of understanding that what he did mattered because of the effects it had.
When the apology is absent, the road to self recovery is absent to, and publically kissing, grabbing @sses and c*cks in public is hardly related to gay equality, justice, and protection.
trickster3737
THANK YOU!
Kieran
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don’t you know it’s gonna be
All right, all right, all right
Heywood Jablowme
@Kieran: Okay… that means you won’t be attending any hate-fueled MAGA rallies or donating to the Trump campaign?
Cam
All that playing the victim and never the words “I’m sorry”.
Typical Republican. The millions of people he voted to harm and attack aren’t the victims, he is because he never even watched Downtown Abby!
Wow, dangerously delusional.
Jared MacBride
Yes, you are.
Cam
@Jared MacBride
Awww, the troll couldn’t even name any specific area I was wrong on. Sweetie, get some smarter trolls if you’re going to be defending Republican bigotry.
Prax07
He’s an attention wh@re that media dumb@sses need to stop giving attention to. Either make him go away by ignoring the douche or put his picture up in Every gay club, bar, venue, with a warning to avoid at all costs.
djmcgamester
Twitter users represent a very narrow range of people. “Gay Twitter” even less. I still think we’re all wasting our time condemning him. Move on. Learn to forgive him the way you might wish others to forgive you.
Jared MacBride
You forget, none of the people criticizing him have ever lied about who they are or allowed others to make false assumptions about their sexual orientation.
am
And mind you they choose the meanest tweets possible. Sure there are supportive tweets too, but they are not here.
Mattster
For forgiveness to be possible, the offender must acknowledge their actions and apologize. He is still too small a person to take this step. Lack of forgiveness is HIS responsibility, not mine.
dhmonarch89
forgive us for what?
Cam
@Jared MacBride said……
“””You forget, none of the people criticizing him have ever lied about who they are or allowed others to make false assumptions about their sexual orientation.””
—————————————–
Yeah, and none of us ever voting in Congress to attack LGBTQ people, steal our rights away, allow bigots to fire us, against our marriages etc…
Nice try troll.
Jared MacBride
Hey @Cami – with airheaded enemies like you Schock doesn’t need friends.
Cam
@Jared MacBride
Translation, the right wing troll account couldn’t argue against my point so tries to deflect by using the insult of a 3rd grader. Oh, by the way. Tell Putin to update your slang, nobody in America has used “airhead” for about 3 decades.
David
Really?… This queen again? Ok …..
Self jusitfication is not the same thing as self acceptance. Schock has lived an incredibly privileged double life. Much of it at Taxpayer expense. His rambling Insta-sermon was dripping with an overwhelming sense of entitlement .
What is remarkable about AS is his honest belief that because he is what many gay men would consider good looking, THAT is some sort of get out homophobic asshole jail free card. As if having Abs is more relevant than having a concience or ethics. And the ugly truth that many of us don’t want to admit is.. in many corners of our Gay World, it is.
If Schock didn’t look like he does, he would have vanished completely from our collective public Gaydar with his resignation from congress years ago. But the sad truth is a disgraced ex- congressman from Peoria IL who posts hot shirtless selfies, rates more column inches in gay online media oh… say LGBT activists in places like places like Asia and Africa who risk their lives every day to make the world a better and safer place to be Gay,
I get it, the idea of holding Schock accountable for his actions while in office that hurt our community is very appealing. I cant help but think the best way to do that is to simply ignore him.
arrowheadman
From a gay man…
Hell hath no fury like a scorned gay community.
Mattster
What are you talking about? This guy has been partying it up in the gayest of gay venues. He hath scorned our community plenty, and his penalty is… mildly angry internet comments?
Has he been physically attacked? Threatened with death? doxed? (All things suffered by far less deserving people than him) or even barred from his party-boy venues?
Please…
frapachino
Much of the hate towards this guy is because he’s white , hot and muscular!
Kangol2
Your racist illness shows every time. Who the hell is talking about him being “white” or “muscular,” and clearly you’re the one pining for him. You can have his “hot” flaming Dumpster of a mess ass! Gurl, BYE!
Cam
@frapachino
The Republican trolls never care about anti-LGBTQ hate, they only want to pretend white people are always victims.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Not only is he a certified smcubag Dbag noxious puke…..
I find his level of attractiveness and sex appeal to be on par with a Ken doll…..
garybw
In my day sticking your hand down another mans pants on camera was proof you are gay. Decorating you office like Downton Abbey gay.
Wearing head to toe madras east coast gay.
billybobs
He’s one of the nasty gays?
Miles
Does this guy have a job? Seems like he just travels the world sun tanning or partying…
redzebra1
He works in real estate, so yeah
dhmonarch89
Well- he has been trying to make it up to the community- one dick pic at a time- it takes a while to send out 10 million pictures….It’s said he’s currently dating Eliad Cohen- a man promoted constantly by Queerty. Pictures of them together have been floating around for months (clearly an open relationship with all the jerk off videos Aaron has been sending lately to prospective gay hook up app patrons). Maybe you could stop publicizing this jerk as well.
jackscott
He is such a jerk… so full of himself & a cheat! he isn’t someone I would ever want to be associated with, regardless of his orientation!
ciasteczek
Aaron Schock is hot AF. And you’re bunch of jealous whiners.
RamblingManNJ
Did you read the article talking about his anti gay past or are you one of those gays that can’t possibly take away any time from your life of circuit parties, gym and shopping. Good Lord not everything comes down to how hot a guy is.
Cam
@ciasteczek
Hey look Aaron has an account here.
Donston
His statement failed to confront why so many people resent himself: he actively voted for hate and voted for limitations on human rights despite being “gay” himself. Because his statement doesn’t confront that fact it comes off hollow and manipulative. He also used the post to present himself as a complete victim. Despite whatever type of sociological or family pressures you may have had to deal with you still need to take responsibility for your own decisions. In general, too many use “coming out” as an opportunity to blame everyone else. While a lot of these guys don’t like to admit that their ego and their own ambitions contribute to their decisions. I get having to contend with a variety of things like homophobia, internalized homophobia, hetero pressures, family pressures, confusions, fluidity, not completely understanding or accepting where you are in the romantic, sexual, affection, emotional, relationship contentment spectrum. But “coming out” is supposed to be about manning up. He simply didn’t do that here. And doing that is particularly imperative for someone like him after what he did.
Ultimately, I just don’t care. We’ve all known that he was into dudes since forever. And people should have known that he was not going to humble himself or take any blame if he ever did “come out”. So, it’s whatever. You don’t have to like the dude and damn sure don’t have to support him. But it’s best for everyone to just move on, because any other option is pointless. Of course, this site is going to continue to find any reason to put up an article about him.
mdrguy1
I’m not a fan of this guy. At all! But let’s be honest: he wouldn’t have gotten the same LGBTA+ media coverage he has over the years if he weren’t a) good looking b) muscled and c) white. Simple as that. Especially on the pages of Queerty.
Cam
Well ad in that he was an obviously closeted self hating bigot who voted against our rights and after his disgrace kept getting caught with his hands down other men’s pants.
Donston
Cam, please stop with the whiny outrage.
Yes, only the naive would believe his looks don’t play a part in the unrelenting coverage. This site loves attaching shirtless pics of dudes they supposedly hate to articles. Nonetheless, the constant shade he’s gotten has been earned. Let’s not forget that he was accused on misusing funds on vacations and gifts for his boy-toys, all while pushing Conservative agenda and voting for anti “queer” laws. Personally, I would love for the coverage to come to halt. But that is very unlikely, primarily because looks.
Cam
@Donston
So you whined about my outraged, then proceeded to agree with my point.
Donston
The melodramatic and generally whiny execution of your posts can be grating.
Cam
@Donston
As is your lashing out but providing no different context.
Me2
He may get a pass from some gays because of his looks. But, as I see it, the gay media has an obligation to give him hell and remind the public of who he really is every opportunity they get. Until he sincerely apologizes and recognizes that he was wrong to vote against our liberties, he does not deserve to live in total peace among us.