After being arrested for a DUI last week, California Republican Senator Roy Ashburn came
  out in an interview with the local radio station KERN radio in Bakersfield, the area he represents.  Ashburn said he felt compelled to come out after rumors suggested he had been visiting a gay nightclub before his DUI arrest.

    Ashburn spoke to conservative talk show host Inga Barks, "I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long." Ashburn was arrested after driving erratically near the capitol. The day following his arrest, rumors surfaced that Ashburn had left Faces, a gay nightclub with an unidentified man in the passenger seat of his Senate owned car. "The best way to handle that is to be truthful and to say to my constituents and all who care that I am gay," he said. "But I don't think it's something that has affected, nor will it affect how I do my job."

    The Senator who has been a representative for Bakersfield for 14 years has voted against numerous gay rights measures including efforts to expand anti-discrimination laws and recognize out-of-state gay marriages. He also opposed a bill to establish a day to honor the gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Ashburn said it was not his own choice but rather the opinion of the area he represented. "I felt my duty — and I still feel this way — is to represent my constituents, not my own point of view, not my own internal conflict," he told Barks. 

    The 55-year-old father of four said he had tried to keep his personal life separate from his professional life until his March 3 arrest. He also said he has no plans for running for another term in public office.

Senior Katie Christensen said "I think it's amazing that he had the courage to come out, knowing it would affect his popularity. However, I'm upset that it took a DUI and the media finding out about his trip to a gay club for him to reveal his sexuality. He is right to represent his constituents instead of his own beliefs because that's what he was elected to do, so I don't think anyone has the right to call him a hypocrite."

Senior Amber Stengel said " I think it's kind of cool that he doesn't mix personal life with work. I think gay rights is a very touchy subject so i don't like to voice my opinion but I think its interesting that all this happened."