Culture

Andrew Gillum, Former Florida Governor Candidate, Comes Out As Bisexual


 

Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum came out as bisexual in a Monday interview with TV host Tamron Hall.

“I don’t identify as gay, but I do identify as bisexual, and that is something that I have never shared publicly before,” the 41-year-old told Hall during an hour-long sitdown, in which he was accompanied by his wife, R. Jai Gillum.

Gillum made the disclosure regarding his sexual orientation while reflecting on a widely discussed March incident in which he was found unconscious in a Miami motel room with Travis Dyson, a 30-year-old sex worker. Authorities discovered bags allegedly filled with methamphetamines at the scene, and Dyson was hospitalized after ingesting what reports described as an “unknown substance.”

The incident made national headlines when police released body cam footage and two dozen photos taken inside the motel room, the latter of which depicted Gillum in the nude.

Although Gillum has denied taking meth that evening, the former Tallahassee mayor told Hall that he spiraled into depression and alcoholism following the 2018 gubernatorial race, when he lost to Republican Ron DeSantis by fewer than 35,000 votes. The extremely tight margins triggered a statewide recount in which DeSantis ultimately prevailed.

“I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated,” he told Hall. “I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles.”

Gillum checked into rehab following the motel room incident but said the negative coverage it generated, as well as the speculation regarding his personal life, took a heavy toll. He recalled that he “cried every day” after the photos were published online because he “was sad to see [himself] in that place.”

“I didn’t recognize that person,” Gillum said. “I cried because I didn’t know it could get that bad.”

“I literally got broken down to my most bare place, to the place where I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to live — not because of what I had done, but because of everything that was being said about me,” he added. “I’m still here, by the grace of God. So much of my recovery has been about trying to get over shame.”

Gillum, however, maintained that the experience was ultimately a “wake-up call,” one which motivated him to “heal fully and show up in the world as a more complete person.”

His wife voiced complete support for Gillum throughout the interview and claimed that coverage of her husband’s scandal illustrates the continued stigma surrounding bisexuality. “So many people just don’t understand bisexuality,” R. Jai Gillum said. “[…] I just believe that love and sexuality exist on a spectrum.”

The couple, who has three children together, said that ultimately what happens in their marriage is their business alone. “All I care about is what’s between us and what agreement we make,” R. Jai Gillum said.

The motel room controversy, however, isn’t the only impropriety which plagued Gillum following his 2018 campaign, which made him the first Black candidate in Florida history to be named a major party’s gubernatorial nominee. Gillum also faced an ethics probe in 2019 for accepting undisclosed gifts from out-of-state lobbyists, including tickets to Hamilton.

While Gillum didn’t discuss his future career plans, he maintained that another run for office is not off the table. “Now, would it be hard?” he asked. “Absolutely. But Donald Trump is president.”

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