If Cory Booker Were To Come Out as Gay – Would It Matter? [POLL]

We should be at the point in society where one’s race, creed, or sexual orientation wouldn’t be a factor as to whether or not a candidate for high office should matter?

So when asked if he's gay, Newark Mayor Cory Booker replied, 'So what does it matter if I am?'

And he’s right.

The only things that matter should be his politics and his record as mayor of the state’s largest city.

Which is why he was in Washington today meeting with the President to discuss the plague of urban violence.

Which is a much more important topic than what I’d think to be the distraction that takes away from more relevant issues.

According to this:

In a profile that appeared in the Washington Post on Monday, Newark Mayor Cory Booker was asked about the persistent rumor that he is gay.

"People who think I'm gay, some part of me thinks it's wonderful," Booker told the interviewer, "because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I'm gay, and I say, 'So what does it matter if I am? So be it.' "

When asked about the interview by The Star-Ledger today, Booker said it was his plan to stick to the major issues in his race against former Mayor Steve Lonegan of Bogota, a Republican, and that sexual preference should not be an issue when voters go to the polls on Oct. 16.

"I don’t intend to answer," said Booker, who was returning from Washington after attending a meeting with President Obama on gun violence. "It should not matter. That was my point."

This reminds me of the movie, “The Contender”, >where according to this,
one of the lead characters, played by Joan Allen, who’s a contender for Vice President, has to answer questions about a possible tryst she had back in college.

Her answer to the query is not to directly answer the question as to whether or not she was involved, but to say that asking the question in the first place wasn’t appropriate.

The Ledger article goes on to say that:

As early as 10 years ago, when Booker was trying to unseat Mayor Sharpe James in 2002, allies of James spread the word that the Booker was gay.

It was not the last time the issue would come up.

When talk of his sexuality emerged last year as he considered challenging Gov. Chris Christie, Booker again denied the loose talk. And when a phony Facebook page in Booker’s name declared that he had come out of the closet, a staff member said he "likes the ladies."

Even in 2006, when he was about to assume the mayoral office, a voter asked Booker about the rumor. He again denied it, but declined to go any further. He said today that answering the question was tantamount to judging someone’s abilities based on faith or race.

Although Booker maintains a close relationship with Christie, a Republican, he has been publicly critical of the governor’s conservative stance on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Over the years, the 44-year-old Booker has attracted attention because of his friendships and public appearances with such women as Gayle King and Arianna Huffington — and even a recent campaign appearance with Eva Longoria. But he has consistently denied his involvement in any long-term relationships.

Over in New York City, there’s a distinct possibility that voters will be electing a gay woman, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, as mayor.
Her sexuality has never been an issue, nor should it matter.

Same here on this side of the Hudson.