“I am gay,” said State Sen. Roy Ashburn on radio station KERN in Bakersfield this morning. “And so, those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.” It took a DUI arrest last week in Sacramento and the ensuing controversy to bring the conservative Republican Senator out of the closet, but the questions are just beginning for a now admittedly gay man who has a staunch record of voting against any gay rights legislation. Sen. Ashubrn explained his anti-gay rights votes as part of his duty to represent his constituents—the reliably conservative 18th District, which includes Bakersfield and most of San Bernardino county—and said that the revelation of his sexuality will not affect how he does his job. How will his Republican colleagues in the legislature, and his home district, deal with the newly outted Sen. Ashburn?

Guests:

Lois Henry, columnist for the Bakersfield Californian

Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, the largest statewide gay advocacy group in California