And we couldn’t be more excited!

Ken Mehlman talked a little about his decision to come out:

“It’s taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life. Everybody has their own path to travel, their own journey, and for me, over the past few months, I’ve told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they’ve been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that’s made me a happier and better person. It’s something I wish I had done years ago.”

Mehlman has been working behind the scenes for years trying to guide republican leaders away from more extreme homophobic views. Chad Griffin, the California-based political strategist who organized opposition to Proposition 8, said that Mehlman’s contributions to the gay rights movement have been “tremendous,” and that “when we achieve equal equality, he will be one of the people to thank for it.”

Although Mehlman has come under some fire for not coming out earlier, potentially at a point in his career where he wielded a little more political power, there is no doubt that Mehlman’s coming out is great news. It can be easy to forget that you can be gay AND a republican, and having people like Mehlman behind the opposition’s lines will be immensely helpful in reshaping the way they think about gay rights.

The gay community and gay rights activists as a whole will be responsible for achieving equal rights in this country; the gay community within the republican party will be responsible for creating harmony once equal rights are achieved.

Now let’s stop all of this political talk and have a party!

[Image via AP Images.]

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