A DeKalb County Judge and former state representative says he hopes to be a positive example for his family and his community by speaking openly about his sexuality.
Judge Mike Jacobs came out publicly, albeit quietly, last month after posting a picture from the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia spring mixer to his Twitter page:
Evan and I had a wonderful time at the Stonewall Bar Association Spring Mixer. Thanks for having us! pic.twitter.com/Wilb3UnVga
— Mike Jacobs (@JudgeJacobs) April 20, 2018
The Stonewall Bar Association is a professional organization made up of LGBTQ attorneys, judges, and others in the legal profession.
Yesterday, Jacobs confirmed that, yep, he’s bi and he’s damn proud of it!
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In a statement to Project Q Atlanta, he explained why he decided to come out:
Two weeks ago at an event hosted by the Stonewall Bar Association, I came out publicly for the first time. I am bisexual. My wife Evan and I have made a mutual decision that it would be a positive step for me to come out, and she proudly stood with me at the Stonewall Bar event.
DeKalb County is home to a substantial LGBTQ population, probably the second largest of any county in our state. I see LGBTQ citizens in my courtroom on a regular basis, particularly as prospective jurors, and in other courtroom roles as well. DeKalb County has never had a trial judge who openly identifies as LGBTQ. This is something I can change simply by sharing this part of who I am with the public.
Of course, my identity has no effect on my work as a judge. It is my solemn and absolute duty to deliver fair and impartial justice for every citizen. However, this decision to come out does help show the broader community the diversity of our bench.
Jacobs went on to say that he also hopes to be a positive example for his three children, who he says are “growing up in a world in which young people can be who they are as soon as they recognize who they are.”
He continued:
We want that world to be a reality for them. The most meaningful contribution I can make to that world is to be authentic myself.
I am hopeful the decision Evan and I have made will help others. Coming out, or at least knowing there are others like us, is just as affirming and significant for bi people as it is for other members of the LGBTQ community.
I have chosen to be a positive role model in this regard.
After releasing the statement, Jacobs once again took to Twitter to thank his supporters:
Evan and I have made this decision for the benefit of the DeKalb County citizens I serve, for our kids, and for others like me. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported this choice to come out. https://t.co/5NDGHRIOoa
— Mike Jacobs (@JudgeJacobs) May 1, 2018
Jacobs served in the Georgia House from 2005 to 2015 and has served on the DeKalb State Court since 2015. He is the first openly LGBTQ trial judge in DeKalb.
Related: Another major “star” just came out as bisexual and a total size queen
Kangol
This coming out is refreshing on a lot of levels. Jacobs is a judge and legislator in a deep Southern state, but he has his wife’s, DeKalb County’s and some of his colleagues’ support.
Strangely Queerty didn’t note that he is a former Democrat who is now a Republican, so it seems like even more of a big deal, especially since the Georgia Republican Party is on record as being against same-sex marriage, LBGBTQ equality, even pushing this year for a ban on same-sex couples and gay people adopting children.
I wonder what his response is to his party’s anti-gay and anti-bi policies and ethos?
Jake321
Wow!
KelvinC
Wife? Welp, bye…why am I so bi-phobic 🙁 Not that there is anything bad about this. More allies to us.
ElPillo
Married with kids and bisexual… he will be eaten alive, especially if actively bisexual
BivisibleGuy
As an “actively” bi-guy monogamously partnered with my now-husband for 14 years, I am confused about why it would be an issue. Porn and alone time do exist. Being monogamously partnered doesn’t erase our sexuality. Get over it.
As a great quote from a queerty article a while ago said, you can be attracted to people with brown or green eyes. Does that mean that if you mate with a person with brown eyes, a person with green eyes isn’t still attractive to you?
CastleSF
Your comparison of bisexuality with attraction to different eye colors is erroneous. Bisexual men often date and have sex with men but they almost always hide in a straight relationship for their social standing and family approval. Does a person with green eyes provide the same social status as one with brown eyes? How you come up with this foolish comparison is beyond me.
Goforit
CastleSF…. A lot of things seem to be “beyond ” you. Bivisableguy’s comparison of brown and green eyes is not erroneous. Nor is he hiding in a “straight relationship for their social standing and family approval”. He clearly states that he has been in a monogamous relationship with his husband for 14 years. If one is in a relationship, be it straight, gay, bi or brown eyes, does not mean that you will be more or less likely to be unfaithful. It depends on the person, not the sexuality or attraction.
alfred
Anyone coming out in any form in the position and place in which he lives is commendable. I do have to say though looking at his twitter account he does have a serious case of ‘gayface’……like, wow……its more of shock that he is married to a woman, than that he is attracted to men also. But enough of that, congrats Judge Jacobs.
bntlhj
Four comments on this article and predictably, 3/4 are biphobic. Bisexuals aren’t allies, they’re part of the community, and the majority at that. There is no such thing as an “actively” bisexual. It’s an orientation, not a behavior. And to judge someone’s appearances as a sign of their attraction..good grief. Do better, commenters.
alfred
My comment on his ‘gayface’ wasnt in relation to his attractiveness. I am partnered and I have no desire to sleep with an older married man thanks. It was merely that he looks very gay and had I met him at a bar and he said he was bi, i would have been more surprised that he was into women as well as men. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DWL9qQ8VQAAFt8j.jpg:large
Secondly, as someone who has been involved in several bi organisations (albeit in the UK) the assertion that bisexuals are the majority of the lgbt ‘community’ is a little misleading. Bisexual females, perhaps, but certainly not bi identified males. And this isnt only down to stigma that bi men face in identifying as such (thus being less likely to be vocal about their orientation like this Judge), but that research shows it is not hugely common in men.
Thirdly, yep, lots of gay men arent going to care about a man who is married to a woman saying is also potentially attracted to men also. It doesnt affect their lives. Perhaps a tad shallow, but to expect more from gay men is a little absurd. As I said in my first comment, I congratulate him on coming out, but I wouldnt expect many other gay men to care….why should they, really? If one agrees that bisexuality is inherently different to homosexuality, then what does this announcement have to do with gay men? Not much. It a gain for bisexual men and viability for them, but thats not inherently tied to or related to gay men. Thats not biphobia.
Josh447
I don’t see gay face at all and it doesn’t matter.
I’m seeing this guy has wisdom and acted on that. I would certainly like to hear more from bisexuals as to how they navigate a monogamous relationship without desiring the other sex to a fault of cheating. I think that is one question many people would like flushed out as it is a fear with many women that a bi guy will easily stray, though I do not believe that is the case.
Thanks to this judge, he makes our lives a little easier by coming out on the public stage. It is the utmost gesture in educating the public about the sexual realities of the human race of which we all belong.
fur_hunter
I lived in Decatur, the main city in DeKalb County, for 42 years. I knew when I read the headline that the only major southern city where this could happen would be in the Atlanta area. No way in any other southern state. The Atlanta area was pretty progressive with its acceptance of the gay community. The major of Atlanta even marched in the Pride Parades back then to show his support. Sold the house in 2013 and I am now retired and moved to Mexico. Love it here and believe it or not is quite gay-friendly in the major cities and resort areas. Don’t get into any drug stuff or you will be in deep guano. Most incidents that you’ve heard about were drug-related in most cases.
MaxTaste
Meh. I don’t see how his sexuality is relevant to very much. It doesn’t help or hurt anyone. Maybe if he were a legislator that could affect policy. But as a judge, this is about as relevant as learning he likes dogs and cats rather than just dogs. Of course, this assumes he’s a good judge and doesn’t let his sexuality color his rulings. So, overall, this story is a yawn.
DCguy
That is a defense of the closet. In what way wouldn’t his coming out help other closeted lgbt folks in that area?
Dubr1988
Just cool..
DCguy
I love it when an account plays victim for Republicans, implies that anybody not a Republican is a “Socialist” and uses socialist as an insult……and then tries to pretend it just isn’t “into Politics”.
Here’s a thought, don’t put on your victim hat and the fact that Queerty didn’t call the guy a Republican wouldn’t bother you.
Lastly, notice how he didn’t come out until he WASN’T in the legislature anymore? Gee, why would being a GOP elected official have kept him in the closet? Oh right, because they have a plank in their platform specifically stating they want to remove lgbt rights.
DCguy
Wow, Ummm Yeahh brought out the old “Brody” Screename to play victim? You must have burned through all the new ones.
Kangol
DCguy, remember, this is the same person who was posting under other screen names, and usually with links to his own blog, some commercial site or his FB group. He said he was a Black conservative in a relationship with a White guy, so we know he’s not “apathetic” and we also know he’s anti-Left. Maybe in the bubbles he runs in everyone has zero memory and is clueless, but some of us see right through his shenanigans on here. To its credit, Queerty lets him post his conservative posts without hesitation, just as it does with nhoffmann, Mo-Brody, even the overt racist ravings of Ummmm Yeah and Kieran, so I don’t know why this one is complaining.
DCguy
@Kangol
It’s probably complaining because when you are bankrupt on actual policy all you can do is play the victim.
inbama
Far better to be out like this than the usual “married with children” being caught in a restroom.
Troyfight
^inbama….that is exactly what I thought. This is a positive article. Stunned others are trashing it. Uggh.
Aromaeus
I wonder how many black people he’s given prison sentences to for non-violent offenses.
WomenDatingCouples.com
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