A small town mayor who faced being outed has taken the high road, choosing to open up publicly about his sexuality rather than try to stop the would-be outer.
Cecil Clarke is the mayor of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He is also an out and proud man. He can be both! Go figure.
The 49-year-old politician told the CBC’s Mainstreet Cape Breton radio show on Thursday that he’d learned of someone “wanting to possibly shame.”
Clarke opted to out himself instead.
“If that’s homophobia and the fact that I’m gay in political life, then shame on people that do that,” he said.
The foiled plan likely had something to do with the fact that Clarke is soon expected to announce his candidacy for leadership of Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative Party.
“I’m not going to go forward and announce my intentions about the Progressive Conservative Party leadership race having people think that they are going to shame me,” he said. “Or hold something over me, or make it [seem]… in this day and age, that being gay is somehow a bad thing.”
“If I don’t speak out now, if I can’t go into a room and know that the person I want to spend my life with can’t be there freely as well? I actually turned it around and said, ’No, I’m not prepared,’” he continued. “Shame on me—it’s time to say no to this type of abuse.”
He expressed gratitude for his family and longtime partner for their continued support.
His opponent in the race had this say:
I appreciate you bravely sharing your story today, Cecil. I stand by you, and I'm proud to be in a diverse and inclusive party like the @nspc. Let's focus on issues in the leadership race, and I condemn all personal attacks. @CBRMGov #nspoli
— John Lohr (@JohnLohrMLA) February 1, 2018
You can listen to the interview below:
Brody
Good for him, and his opponent.
Won’t be long before an openly gay conservative runs for office here in the states, too.
Juanjo
You mean like that poor schmuck in Alabama who was rejected by the Republican Party
dwes09
There have been, they are not well received by the voters who understand gay folks to be “sinners” and “disordered”, and “against God”.
Additionally, the platform of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada shows it to be solidly centrist, totally unlike our Republican Party.
scotshot
The right always needs a target.
JAW
It will be a long time. That is due to the many queers that already attack the LGBT members of The Log Cabin Republicans. Many of the queers in our community are as bad extremest on the right.
DCguy
LOL!!!! Oh Nice try troll. This is a CANADIAN party called the PROGRESSIVE Conservative party. They support universal Healthcare and same sex marriage.
That’s the problem with you Republicans. You think the words mean everything and never bother to actually look at the substance or the actions. You think if you CALL bigotry “Family Values” that suddenly that is what family values are.
But keep posting, it’s fun to think that you’re the best the RNC has at this point.
Rex Huskey
he sure looks like that actor….what’s his name??? oh yeah George Clooney.
He BGB
A Progressive Conservative Party? Sounds like an oxymoron. Anyway, I always had my suspicions about George Clooney (wink wink).
Redmage
Yeah it is.. Because progressive as people use it to describe a political ideology.. Is anything but progressive.. More like regressive, study the history of the progressive movement/ideology which the left in the country loved and pushed, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.. I’ll throw a spoiler in though.. Their views (which Margret Sanger founder of Planned Parenthood pushed and was one of the biggest voices in the movement) inspired men like Hitler, and Stalin to do the evil things they did to millions.
It is an oxymoron, in the same way as calling someone who favors big government, and or socialism a liberal.. They are not liberal, as liberalism was the platform of the Republican party, when it was created by Lincoln. Today we call it libertarian, or “classic liberal”. Which basically was about.. I don’t care about you’re color/ethnicity (the word race is dumb, and shouldn’t be used, as there is only one race- mankind), I don’t care about gender, or sexuality.. I only care if you’re trying to steal from me, hurt me (others or the country).. Or kill me. Its about maximum freedom, and maximum responsibility. Giving those in need a hand up, not a handout meaning not paying people for living.
People who favor the massive government, and socialism are leftist not liberal.. They are on the same political spectrum as communist, and fascist who are both leftist… This is also why their ideologies don’t mesh with America, not only do they go against our constitution and the idea of the country, but those ideas of the left- aren’t American, they are European.. The white nationalist men like Richard Spencer, are also of the left right along with groups like ANTIFA, and Black lies (oops) lives matter.. None of these people/groups care for our constitution, the individual, others freedoms or rights, and have a very authoritarian/totalitarian attitude and views.
Someone of the hard right, (also a bad thing). Is someone on the extreme on the side of liberalism or as most today call it libertarian.. These people are anarchist, they despise any and all forms of government, and want to do away with it.. This is bad, evil even. You need government (not massive all controlling). Their way would create chaos, which then gives birth to a dictator, as people would cry out for the chaos to end.. When you get the dictator, you then get the fascism or the communism- and then even more death.
Conservatism is something the Republican party got labeled with, back in the day.. I believe it was around the 1920’s or 1930’s- but they had become huge conservationist- very huge on the environment, and this went into the 1950’s when Nixion created the EPA (bad, and he was a big government type). However to many conservatives it also means conserving/upholding the constitution, and traditions and values that promote good things… We kinda don’t do that anymore, which is a huge part as to why society gets kinda crappier… It gets bad however, evil I will even say, when it delves into social conservatism (which attracts those who’d want America to be a theocracy).. This also goes against the individual, and their freedoms and rights, and therefore the constitution as well.
Classically liberal, constitutional republic is what America is supposed to be… Not a Democracy, progressive, anarchist, theocracy, and definitely not fascist or communist.. Our economic system (which we no longer do really) is supposed to be the free market, or capitalism as people call it.. Not socialism (which we dabble more and more in) Socialism is designed to bring you either to the communism, or the fascism.. Some countries get there quick, some it takes a LONG time, but everyone gets there with socialism.
Capitalism isn’t perfect, nothing created by man is, but out of the two, it best promotes freedom, and allows one to move around economically, socialism keeps you stuck in one place, and you better hope it is among the ruling elite, not to mention it promotes and has way more corruption. What we do today isn’t capitalism, it is corporatism and mixed economy- all of which is a steppingstone to socialism- as our government grows.. Which is why things are becoming harder for people economically, and why soon we will have an economic crisis more likely worse than the great depression.
shakes_head
Not worth responding to everything that is clearly wrong with Redmage’s long winded and poorly researched diatribe.
JoeyRamone
my my Reddy certainly has a lot of time on his hands. As long as he’s happy.
Tête Carrée
Geez, Ginger,
Don’t give it all away with previews.
Save some for your book.
Pii
If he is running for the leadership of Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative Party then I wouldn’t be so fast to call him out and proud. The Conservative party has a very long history of anti gay voting and has done everything possible to deny gay rights. For comparison basis, I believe he would probably be best described as the equivalent of a log cabin republican.
Rex Huskey
also, how the f*ck does a small town major with a “longtime partner” stay undiagnosed as queer?
Andrew Yang
Undiagnosed? I did not know being queer was a diagnosable disorder!
gmale
Exactly.
This is another disturbing gay story from the erstwhile liberal nation of Canada.
How can he live with a long term partner, in a country with gay marriage on its books, be in the closet for so long is a question that is very pertinent. Why did he choose to “come out” now: Did he figure, that being gay might harm his efforts to become the mayor of a small town while being the leader of the State’s Party might be a different game and it might work in his favour. I mean if he doesn’t win the election he can conveniently blame it on the “anti-gay bias”.
Another canadian politician at the federal level, John Baird about 5 years ago, managed to remain in the closet and even successfully threatened and dissuaded the state owned broadcasting company, CBC from discussing his sexual orientation!
https://www.dailyxtra.com/why-is-the-cbc-censoring-canadians-to-protect-john-baird-53595
It’s a sad state of affairs in a country which was once thought of a better America. I am sure the Mayor will go back into the closet if he has to run for the federal leadership of the conservative party instead of at the provincial/state level.
Tête Carrée
@Rex Huskey
I was going to comment but now that I’ve seen your other comments, I guess you already have all the answers and everybody else is just an “azzhole”.
Nice to meet you. Welcome to Queerty. Going downhill since Dec. 8, 2016.
DCguy
Really? You mean the same way that all of those GOP Congressmen and Evangelliacl pastors were hiring male prostitutes for years and nobody publically outted them?
Marvellis1
In 1977 I involved myself in organizing the Save Our Human Rights group, now the Human Rights Foundation. It is important to stay involved. From the AIDS crisis to seeing gay politicians elected in this case. This is another step forward.
Rex Huskey
dickwad…. the story aint about you …nowhere near about you. and did you even read the sophomoric dribble? the dude is running for re-election. Watch your step.
Dashing Partycrasher
Rex: No need for name calling or random rants.
Marvellis: thank you for your contributions to equal rights! It’s great to see more openly gay political candidates on all sides of the political spectrum. It is indeed progress.
Rex Huskey
Yo partycrusher: It’s my party and I’ll f*cking call out opportunists if I want too! And who the f*ck died and left you in charge? I’ve “involved myself” in many things helpful if not ground breaking… but I don’t bring all that to this dance looking for dress approval. Bite me azzhole.
jhon_siders
REX there has been lately a LOT of flaming and name calling on this site If we do not tone down things they will start moderating commits and that will ruin things so lets be civil to each other .
scotshot
@Rex Huskey
Are you making threats?
Tell us some more of all the things you’ve never been involved. You sound like Trump talking about this charity.
We have enough Trolls here, thank you.
Kangol
Good for him, and I hope he pushes his fellow Conservative Party members to be supportive of LGBTQ equality. One thing that’s a bit confusing is if he had a longtime partner, how closeted was he? Was another Conservative going to out him, or were members of the opposition planning to do so?
@Marvellis1, many out gay, bi, and now trans politicians have been elected in the US. In the Congress alone, there’s an out lesbian US Senator (Democrat Tammy Baldwin), out gay Congresspeople (Democrats Mike Michaud, Jared Polis, David Ciccilline, Sean Patrick Maloney, Mark Takano, and Mark Pocan), and an out bi Congressperson (Kyrsten Synema). An openly gay GOP candidate probably would be elected at some point soon too, if the GOP and its representatives will support them.
Tombear
I am sure he will be an asset to the progressive party but for the carnal posters I’d do him in a Halifax minute.
jhon_siders
LOL WOOFS !! He does have the daddy look !!
Notright
Is anyone is interested in seeing gay conservative commentary check this out. https://therainbowright.com . I’m so happy this guy decided to come out and live in his truth though.
Tête Carrée
That’s NotRight.
Stilinski26
Daddy!
robert_moore
Progressive Conservative Party seems an oxymoron sort of like compassionate conservatism, or intelligent Republican. Since it’s Canada, perhaps, their conservatives are not foul fascists they way they are in America.
DCguy
The progressive conservative party supports Same Sex Marriage and universal healthcare.
As a friend from another country told me. To them, the Democrats are considered a conservative party, and the Republicans are considered a fringe far right fascist movement.