Former Republican National Committee chair and Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman says he's gay after years of denial.
While he was a top GOP operative, the Republican Party was actively pushing anti-gay marriage initiatives. Mehlman acknowledged that if not for his secret, he might have been a voice for a more conciliatory approach to gays, according to the interview on the Atlantic's website.
"It's a legitimate question and one I understand," Mehlman said. Now, he said, he will openly back gay marriage as consistent with such GOP principles as "individual freedom."