“I am a gay American.” These were the words of New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey. With his wife by his side, the Democrat not only announced his homosexuality to the world but also announced his forthcoming resignation on September 15. Was the governor a victim or was there more to the story? While a fear of the public not accepting his lifestyle might have been part of the McGreevey’s decision to resign, he probably also was influenced by the many scandals in his administration, the most prominent being a relationship he had with his former employee Golan Cipel.

Cipel is claiming that he endured several unwanted sexual advances from the governor and is now planning to file a sexual harassment suit. McGreevey, on the other hand, alleges that Cipel threatened to sue unless he was paid millions of dollars.

McGreevey met Cipel during a trip to Israel and surprised many by bringing the Israeli citizen to the United States to work on his governor’s campaign. Afterward, Cipel got a job from Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and friend of McGreevey’s, who signed the papers necessary for Cipel to work in the United States.

Kushner, however, has since been linked to several scandals in the McGreevey administration, including charges of blackmail, witness tampering and attempting to stop a campaign-

finance investigation. Despite these allegations, McGreevey named Cipel head of New Jersey’s Homeland Security Taskforce, a job that paid $110,000 a year. Background checks by the state Senate Judiciary Committee ultimately showed that Cipel was unqualified for the position – a revelation that forced him to resign.

The disclosure of McGreevey’s homosexuality reveals his extremely conflicted life. Yes, he should not have lied to his family and to the people of New Jersey, but he simply can’t be faulted for doing so. McGreevey grew up Catholic and in an environment that told him his natural desires were sinful. Like millions of other Americans, he was forced to suppress his identity in order to conform to a predominantly heterosexual society. When he chose to run for office, he knowingly lied.

But let’s face it: Politics isn’t exactly the domain of tolerance. In many areas of this country, voters, regrettably, just are not ready to elect a homosexual to the highest levels of government. Still, I doubt the governor’s homosexuality interfered with his ability to hold office, and if his family can forgive him, so should we.

To be fair, the governor was responsible for corruption in his administration, specifically the actions of both Cipel and Kushner. He chose to hire them both and improperly used government funds to pay for their salaries. Whether he should resign because of those actions is a question he answered on his own. In any case, it’s unfortunate that other politicians, such as former Gov. George Ryan or House Majority Leader Tom Delay, have gotten away with much worse without having to step down.

Ultimately, McGreevey’s homosexuality is not what should be at the heart of this debate. His decision to resign should be judged on the implications of corruption in his administration, not by his sexuality. While it’s impossible to know for sure, one hopes his resignation came from a desire to do what’s best for the state rather than from the fear of being an openly-gay governor. In reality, Gov. McGreevey is neither a hopelessly corrupt politician nor a martyr for the gay cause. He is simply a man with the same failings we all face.

Eric Naing is a junior in LAS. His column runs Wednesdays. He can be reached at [email protected]