Not bipartisan, bisexual

All things being equal, I would prefer not to know the sexual preferences, orientations or practices of our political leaders. I wish they would not take pride in their sexuality. I wish they would remain discreet. By the lights of those who advertise their sexuality, they deserve no credit for it. I think they should be credited with responsibility for their practices, but if they choose discretion, I appreciate it.

It is part of the plan, so it seems, to put it in our faces and shove it down our throats. Our assent may be the only thing we choose to withhold, but our assent is demanded.

Following the resignation of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown will become governor this week. Brown reputedly leans even further to the left than Kitzhaber, but that isn’t what has gotten the attention of those following the transition. Brown, we are advised by the Washington Post’s Hunter Schwarz, will become the first openly bisexual governor in U.S. history[.]” Congratulations must be in order. Or are they?

Schwarz also advises that Brown is married. She is married to Dan Little. She has also publicly discussed her bisexuality in past campaigns. Schwarz adds: “She is already arguably the highest-ranking bisexual elected official in America; Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) became the first bisexual member of Congress in 2013. There are about 525 openly LGBT public officials in office at all levels of government, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. Most of them are Democrats, said interim executive director Denis Dison, and only about 20 are Republicans.”

I would prefer not to know about Brown’s bisexuality or the sexuality of the other openly LGBT public officials. I would like to operate here on a need to know basis. But since she has brought it up, I’ll bite. Would it be untoward to ask whether she has continued her involvement with the ladies since she married Little? Or has her marriage to Little affected her behavior and caused her to restrict her activities to Little? If so, would it be wrong to credit her for her fidelity?

The Oregonian picks up the thread in “Gay community on next Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: Yes, she counts.” The Oregonian quotes Brown’s 1992 “out and elected” essay: “Some days I feel like I have a foot in both worlds, yet never really belonging to either.” Again, I would prefer not to know, but there are some threads that the Oregonian, if not Brown, have left hanging here.

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