AntiGay Republican Senator Roy Ashburn-DUI Arrest Leaving Gay Bar

by Karen Hatter | March 4, 2010 at 08:51 am

3095 views | 57 Recommendations | 35 comments

California's Republican Senator, Roy Ashburn was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after leaving Faces, a gay Sacramento night club, last night. At the time of arrest the married father of 4 was accompanied by an unidentified male passenger.

Sources tell CBS13 ...The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday after an officer noticed a black Chevy Tahoe swerving at 13th and L Streets... He was arrested without incident and charged with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08% or higher...Ashburn was booked into the Sacramento County Jail and released on $1,400 bond.

Senator Ashburn served as state assemblyman for 6 years before being elected senator. He represents portions of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino counties in California. He has issued an apology for his actions.

Other US senators and political figures recently in the news for anti-gay stances include:

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Paul Conneally

at 10:17 on March 4th, 2010

Wow - you couldn't make it up!

notatallsuprised (not verified)

at 10:32 on March 4th, 2010

Most of these uber Christian Republican types anti-gay types are hypocritical closet types. Hugh will be along very shortly to claim it is all a liberal plot . They have their guns. They have their church. They have their tea parties. They often don't have any honesty or compassion

Hugh Askew

at 13:36 on March 4th, 2010

Actually, RNG, i think he will get run out of office, perhaps even resign in disgrace - as he should. Of course he may do like that weasel governor from New Jersey. Then he will be acceptable to the degenerate crowd.

As far as honesty, i don't see much from either side - as a general rule - when it comes to sex scandals. Shoot, Barney Frank could get his boyfriend appointed as Fuhrer, and liberals wouldn't complain.

I do recall one Democrat that was elected to several offices on the strength of his Medal of Honor. He even gave running for the presidency some consideration. Once he heard there was a book coming out detailing his involvement in civilian massacre, he decided he didn't want to be elected any more, took a job in a university - imagine that - and out of state to boot. He was real honest, too. Never did apologize, either.

Do you count acts as dishonesty and hypocrisy when they are committed by liberals, or just when it is convenient for your views?

Spydermonkey

at 11:49 on March 4th, 2010

ROFLOL ! ¡

Oh How I wish I could get more than one recommend !

Rory Cripps

at 12:06 on March 4th, 2010

So the guy drinks and he's a hypocrite! Big deal! Does that distinguish him from other politicians? Hardly I dare say. He just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. He should have studied Ted Kennedy's MO and learned from the master himself.

In any event, it's good to see a Republican forced out of the closest. I'm sure that there's a lot more to come.

Karen Hatter

at 12:56 on March 4th, 2010

Rory, maybe Senator Ashburn was doing undercover investigative work, preparation for an upcoming battle against gay rights, you know, to get a better feel for his subject matter.

Hugh Askew

at 13:32 on March 4th, 2010

Naw, the guy had a flat tire, needed a ride home....................

Karen Hatter

at 16:59 on March 4th, 2010

The act of a Good Samaritan!

YankeeJim

at 14:51 on March 4th, 2010

That's it -- under cover work only there weren't enough covers.

Karen Hatter

at 17:01 on March 4th, 2010

Well, they hadn't gotten that far yet, Jim!

Karen Hatter

at 15:46 on March 5th, 2010

Officers followed Ashburn and finally pulled him over after he stopped to make a right turn "for approximately 1 minute without any cross traffic," according to the declaration by Officer R. Gomez.
Ashburn missed Thursday’s Senate session, having taken personal leave at least through this weekend, and "there is no date when he will come back" to work, said spokesman Noel Libang.

Ashburn was arrested driving his state-owned car, which has since been impounded in the state garage. Records show that Ashburn was involved in a car accident with the 2007 Chevy Tahoe nearly seven months ago, on Aug. 26. The senator was exiting the 50 Freeway at Stockton Boulevard at 8:30 a.m. that day when his car rear-ended another car that had stopped at a traffic light, said Eric Lamoureux, a spokesman for the state Department of General Services.

There were no injuries, but the state ended up paying the other driver $4,512 for damages and loss of use of his vehicle, and spent an additional $1,509 fixing Ashburn’s car, Lamoureux said. The state has not released the accident report.

The openly gay mayor of West Sacramento says that he's spotted state Sen. Roy Ashburn (R), who has racked up a consistently anti-gay voting record over the years, at gay clubs a number of times.

Interviewed by CBS13, the station that reported that Ashburn was at a Sacramento gay club before being arrested for DUI -- with a man in the car -- early Wednesday morning, Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said:

"To live a secret life and at the same time be attacking exactly the people who you're one of -- but that you're too ashamed to admit -- that's the hypocrisy that I think for folks, whether you're gay or not, is just unacceptable in politics."

Watch the interview here.

Rory Cripps

at 15:01 on March 4th, 2010

Karen: Yeah! No doubt that he desired a better feel for his subject matter! HA! Do you know if he was married and just got tired of having straight sex with the old lady?

Karen Hatter

at 15:59 on March 4th, 2010

Rory, the article I linked said he was a father of 4, not 'married AND a father of 4', which I thought a little odd at the time I read it, making a mental note that maybe he and the wife weren't together or there was some form of estrangement.

Usually, when those types of facts are provided, it reads, 'married with x number of children'.

I know more will come out over the next few days.

Rory Cripps

at 16:19 on March 4th, 2010

Karen: I've said it before and I say it again: A lack of nookie will drive people to drink. It will also drive them to places where the nookie is easy to come by. Men will abandon all monogamous and heterosexual inclinations if they feel that they're deprived of nookie. I don't know how anyone in this day and age can feel deprived of nookie but I guess that there are those that do. This poor sorry SOB just wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time do to a lack of satisfying nookie.

Karen Hatter

at 16:33 on March 4th, 2010

That's a rather sexist, somewhat standard and expected male comment, Rory.

He's picking up gay men because he's not getting enough at home? C'mon, Rory!

Anyway, you can't get punnany from a man, so, that wasn't the deal!

Rory Cripps

at 17:27 on March 4th, 2010

Karen: No doubt you pegged my comment right! A rather sexist, standard, and expected male comment. Yeah! I'm just one of those standard, ignorant, and insensitive males that has no knowledge whatsoever of what's in a man's heart, soul, and mind.

You're right as always Karen--simply in your own mind, of course. In your reply to my comment, you betray a complete and total ignorance of how men think, feel, and react. Moreover, you took my comment personally and to heart.

Keep on saying what you say, Karen. I and others on this site love it! It makes for great comic relief!

Karen Hatter

at 17:49 on March 4th, 2010

Oh, I do know how men think, Rory, and I didn't take the comment personally. The story doesn't involve me in any way.

As for me being "great comic relief", there are a few others here whose behavior is far more comical than anything I've ever written here.

notatallsurpised (not verified)

at 17:26 on March 4th, 2010

He is supposedly a divorced Catholic..do with that what you will

Karen Hatter

at 16:57 on March 4th, 2010

Well, Rory, it turns out Senator Ashburn is a divorced Catholic.

Churchlady (not verified)

at 23:04 on March 5th, 2010

No - the Senator is divorced. He has four daughters.

Rory Cripps

at 13:08 on March 4th, 2010

I can't imagine Louis Farrakhan being a Republican or a Democrat. I can only imagine him being Louis Farrakhan . . . for better or for worse depending on one's ideological and racial point of view. I've received a few cracked bones, punches to the ribs, and kicks to the head, from followers of Farrakhan. I knew my assailants well and I can honestly say that none of them drank booze or engaged in homosexual relations. They are quite dedicated . . . .

nanute

at 13:38 on March 4th, 2010

I didn't see any narrative here. I'm sure you could read one into it if you felt that the poor bastard was being unfairly picked on. There have been several instances of late where supposedly anti-gay Republicans have been exposed as engaging in questionable behavior regarding sexuality. Larry (the toe tapper) Craig comes to mind. David (diaper boy) Vitter, though not engaged in homosexual behavior, does have "unconventional"sexual preferences. And let's not forget the "family" and their ties to the Ugandan prayer breakfasts, and the Ugandan effort to make homosexual activity punishable by death. See a pattern here?

Rory Cripps

at 15:45 on March 4th, 2010

nanute: No doubt that both the Repugs and the Dems are cock full of latent homosexuals. And those that are not latent homosexuals are more than likely sexual deviants and perverts. This is why America has so many problems nowadays--the Democrats and Republicans are not secure in their sexual identity. The Dems and Repugs need to join hands, embrace, throw out their ideological differences, and cum together .

Albert Milliron

at 13:44 on March 4th, 2010

I just love a Republican who fights against something and does it himself. I am looking forward to the Big Paterson article

YankeeJim

at 14:53 on March 4th, 2010

The gay community is extremely troubled at finding Roy Ashburn hiding his true identity. Next thing we'll know is that he is really a Democrat.

Karen Hatter

at 15:48 on March 4th, 2010

Jim, I guess there may be a sense of betrayal felt within the gay community since he has been a very active crusader against gay rights and issues, if it is actually substantiated that he is gay.

Project Vote Smart shows Ashburn has a consistent record of voting against gay-rights issues, including four "nay" votes last year. Those Senate bills included recognizing out-of-state gay marriages and establishing a day to recognize slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

Ashburn represents the 18th Senate District and will be forced to leave the Senate this year because of term limits.

Before serving in the Senate, Ashburn served for six years as a state assemblyman and for 12 years as a Kern County Supervisor.

Uwe Paschen

at 17:06 on March 4th, 2010

Good factual and objective post. especially in light of some of the comments.

The_Cynic

at 17:42 on March 4th, 2010

The easiest thing for politicians to do, of all hues, would be to stay out of people bedrooms. What goes on between consenting adults has nothing to do with anyone else.

When they do vote yay or nay about certain legislation it is a matter of pandering to either vocal media or the vocal minority.

Who cares if this guy is gay - it is his voting record that matters? He could, if he had had the balls, simply abstained or found a hotel room for the night.