Andrew Gillum Comes Out as Bisexual
In a clip posted today, ex-Tallahassee mayor and former Democratic nominee for Florida governor Andrew Gillum spoke openly about his sexuality with Tamron Hall on the debut of Season 2 of her nationally syndicated talkshow, informing the host that he identifies as bisexual.
“You didn’t ask the question, you put it out there of whether I identify as gay,” Gillum said. “The answer is I don’t identify as gay but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something that I’ve never shared publicly before.”
Gillum has not spoken to the press since March when he was found in a Miami Beach hotel room where another man allegedly overdosed.
Gillum denied any drug use at the time, telling the press: “While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement.”
Despite the fact that one of the men in the hotel room was a gay sex worker, Gillum told Hall that while he “understand[s] very well what people assume about that,” he didn’t have a sexual relationship with either man at the hotel.
After the hotel incident in Miami, Gillum announced that he would enter rehab. He appeared in the interview with his wife, R. Jai Gillum.
“So many people just don’t understand bisexuality,” R. Jai said in the joint interview. “Bisexuality is just something different. I just believe that love and sexuality exist on a spectrum. All I care about is what’s between us and what agreement we make.”
Andrew didn’t shy away from explaining his views on his sexuality and monogamy. “Bisexuality in and of itself doesn’t lead to unfaithfulness,” he said in the interview. “There are men who are in marriages with women who just because they’re married to a woman doesn’t mean they’re not attracted to other women, and at any point can slip up, make a mistake, do something, and that is what it is. The same thing in bisexual relationships. … You can be attracted to both, you got a bigger terrain out there that you have to contend with, but you can still choose to be physically with one person.”
In 2018, Andrew Gillum spoke to Rolling Stone about his introduction to politics ahead of the gubernatorial election in Florida. “Florida A&M University was my first real introduction to politics as a heavyweight game,” he said. “That fight, you know, when folks tell you who you are? And you know you’re somebody different? It can be real, defining how you engage in the process and how the process engages you. It activated me.” He ultimately lost the election, stating in his concession speech: “I believe, in the long run, good always wins out over evil.”
Bisexual+ Awareness Week — which seeks to “accelerate acceptance of the bi+ (bisexual, pansexual, fluid, no label, queer, etc.) community” — begins September 16th and culminates on September 23rd with Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day.