He was outed against his wishes and was pushed into having the press conference. He didn't hold the press conference because he wanted the information out there, he had to address the gossip.
You keep using the word "gossip" as if you know what it means. Gossip, by definition, is the idle talk or rumor, usually about the private affairs of others. And rumor, by definition, is unconfirmed hearsay. Yet this is neither, because the allegations come directly from one of the parties involved, Jose himself.
The allegations are, in order to keep the sheriff's homosexuality hidden, he blackmailed Jose with deportation if Jose made the affair public. These types of scandals have a predictable pattern, even to the point of the wording and what is and is not denied. The press conference was held as damage control. He freely admitted to being gay, which is a tough thing to do for someone who has a publicly political position of anti-gay and anti-gay rights. He did that instead of openly admitting to abuse under authority and blackmail. He adamantly (very adamantly, almost too adamantly) denied everything, except for being gay, which could be true on the fact of it, but based on historical patterns of these scandals, is probably not. More likely, he wants to leave the distinct impression of, "Well, he told the truth about being gay, therefore he must be telling the truth about the stuff that could get him thrown in jail."
He also keep talking about his gayness being his personal, private business (as if that's supposed to be off limits), while at the same time being a candidate for Congress (where one's personal life is not off limits at all). Most likely, when the idea of him becoming a Representative of his District in Congress looked like it was going to be an attainable reality, he cut Jose loose (because an openly gay Republican candidate for Congress in a very religiously conservative district has got no shot at being elected), and Jose was scorned and took revenge. It's also very plausible, based on human nature and the reality of politics, that he warned Jose in some way not to make their affair public.
He also keeps playing the military service card, saying that's what people should look at instead of his his sexual orientation, which is a liberal political stance, not the conservative stance. When asked about gay marriage, he suddenly becomes a Libertarian and quotes Ron Paul as a deflection rather than state his views on the subject. He wants to publicly be a conservative, because that's the district he's running to represent, but everything else about says otherwise. It's irony and hypocrisy squared. He really wants all this to go away toot sweet, so he's playing it all down. Yet, at the same time, he's accusing Jose of actual crimes, including the theft of Badeu's identity. His "service record" demands that he file formal charges against Jose and arrest him. So why hasn't he done that? Because if he does that, it won't go away quietly, and more truth will come out. He states flatly that he will not ask for, nor does he want, an outside investigation of the allegations against him or against Jose. He can't control an outside investigation.
For his Congressional campaign, he has to face a Republican primary electorate in a very conservative district, where the gay issue all by itself is a big deal with that constituency. Then, you have the issue of judgment, and what comes to mind immediately is the underwear photos, same as Congressman Weiner, who got laughed at because of it, and once you start laughing at someone, it's game over.
Not only that, but the issue of morality may be a bigger one for voters in his district than in other districts. The very people who tend to make judgments about personal lives and what they regard as personal morality tend to be those who vote in Republican primaries and that's precisely the electorate that he's facing.
Do you think there is a stigma attached to those that are homosexual?
Of course there is.
Do you think it is justified?
Absolutely. Unless or until homosexuality becomes the norm, it will always be justified. That's not to say that homosexuals cannot be accepted, but the stigma will always be there, and it'll always be justified. Homosexuality is not merely abnormal, it's anormal. There's no getting around that.
Again, this story is more than the good Sheriff being a homosexual, it is more about irony and hypocrisy in my opinion.
I agree. As you say, it's icing on the cake to make even sweeter and even more rich.
