McGreevey finds
stride as 'gay American'
By AP from Courier
News Online, August 11, 2006
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Former
Gov. James McGreevey's new Prospect Street home in Plainfield
Courier News File Photo |
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TRENTON, N.J. -- To celebrate
James McGreevey's 49th birthday this week, his boyfriend threw a party for the
former governor at the couple's new home in Plainfield.
The idea for the 50 friends and family members who attended was to surprise
McGreevey as he returned from a trip to China, where he was negotiating a deal
to bring a Kean University branch to the mainland there.
What a difference two years can make.
It was Aug. 12, 2004 when McGreevey took his spectacular political plunge with
his now-famous "I am a gay American" speech, spoken solemnly before a national
television audience.
Three months later, the first-term Democrat left office.
In the 24 months since his declaration, McGreevey has gone from closeted to out.
From married to partnered. Shunned to accepted. Conflicted to
content.
"He's a totally different person," said state Sen. Ray Lesniak, McGreevey's
friend and colleague for 25 years. "He is so much more comfortable with
who he is -- you can see it in his body language."
With a new house, a still-new relationship with Australian financial adviser
Mark O'Donnell and a new book about to be released, McGreevey seems to have
found his stride.
But Lesniak said the nation's first openly gay governor, who is contractually
bound by his publisher from talking to the media before his memoir hits book
stores next month, is still molding his identity as a gay American.
Following his stunning announcement that he'd had an affair with a man and would
resign, McGreevey headed "upstate," where he collapsed emotionally, too
distraught even to get out of bed, according to Lesniak.
But the former governor was soon up and about, leaning on friends, family and
faith as he began a long and difficult process of reassembling his life as he
wanted it to be.
Today, that life is quite full.
His sprawling house is alive with pets and parties, like the birthday bash,
typically showcasing a guest list that combines a mix of McGreevey's new gay
friends, old political chums such as Lesniak, and the former governor's parents.
He's got his preschool-age daughter, a frequent presence, whom he is raising
along with his second wife. Then there's his work: representing Kean
University in the China talks, and other education and anti-poverty projects.
And, there's the book.
Due in stores Sept. 19, "The Confession" is the memoir of McGreevey's rise, fall
and resurrection. It traces his life through two failed marriages, his
rapid political rise to the governor's office, and the sudden, public implosion
of his political career.
For now, the details contained in the book are a closely guarded secret.
The only hint at what it says came from limited excerpts released in May, which
told the story of a troubled man resorting to anonymous homosexual trysts at
highway rest stops as he wrestled with desires frowned on by his Roman Catholic
faith and his family.
Lesniak calls the book a "totally honest" political memoir in which not all New
Jersey politicians are portrayed favorably. Though McGreevey is not out to
settle any scores, he did want to be truthful and helpful to others undergoing
similar struggles, Lesniak said.
One recent poll shows most New Jerseyans don't care about the book. The
survey released this week the Monmouth University Polling Institute found that 8
in 10 of McGreevey's former constituents have no interest in reading it and only
1 in 20 await its publication with a lot of interest.
The book is to be launched with a splash. A two-month book tour is being
planned by publisher Regan Books. It kicks off with an appearance on the
Oprah Winfrey show on Sept. 19 and is to be followed by a flurry of other TV
spots and book signings.
From the Courier News website
www.c-n.com
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