I'll judge him by his deeds in office, not his sexual orientation. And you'll find that to be the general reaction of Republicans.

Brian Bates is a 36-year-old business owner in charge of Doraville's annual Police Appreciation Day.

He's active in his neighborhood association and staunchly supports popular police Chief John King, who became a major issue in elections earlier this month.

So Bates' victory in a race for city council didn't come as a major surprise in this town of about 10,000 residents. But, it was, in fact, groundbreaking.

Bates is now the state's first openly gay Republican elected to office – a development that has gained the attention of politicos and pundits across the country.

Georgia Equality, the state's largest organization supporting gay rights, says he's the first openly gay Republican to win a race in the Deep South.

I'll be interested to see how he does in office. Is it his intent to be a gay REPUBLICAN or a GAY Republican? Time will tell.

Personally, I hope he is successful in office, and if he rises higher politically I will judge him in precisely the same manner that I judge other candidates -- without regard to sexual orientation, but with regard to the issues and his qualifications. I'll likely agree with him on some things and disagree with him on others -- just like every other Republican office holder.

Posted by: Greg at 01:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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