'I Am Gay:' Illinois Ex-U.S. Rep Aaron Schock Comes Out

PEORIA, IL — Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock took to Instagram and his website Thursday to come out as gay. Schock, a Republican who resigned in 2015 amid a scandal over his use of campaign funds and his congressional allotment, issued a statement saying, "I am gay. For those who know me and for many who only know of me, this will come as no surprise."

Schock added, "For the past year, I have been working through a list of people who I felt should finally hear the news directly from me before I made a public statement. I wanted my mother, my father, my sisters, my brother, and my closest friends to hear it from me first. The fact that I am gay is just one of those things in my life in need of explicit affirmation, to remove any doubt and to finally validate who I am as a person. In many ways I regret the time wasted in not having done so sooner."

Schock's full statement is posted on his website.

Schock, who represented Illinois' 18th District, including Bloomington, Peoria and Springfield, also says in his statement that if he were still in Congress, "I would support LGBTQ rights in every way I could," adding, "I realize that some of my political positions run very much counter to the mainstream of the LGBTQ movement, and I respect them for those differences. I hope people will allow for me the same."

When he was in Congress, Pride.com points out, Schock supported the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law defining marriage as being between one man and one woman, and opposed the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," the official United States policy in effect from 1994 to 2011. Under the policy, military personnel were barred from harassing closeted gay or bisexual service members, but openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people were banned from military service.

In 2016, Schock was indicted on 24 counts of wire fraud and theft, accused of using campaign funds for personal use. As part of a plea deal, Schock pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of failing to report expenses.

In September, as part of the deal, prosecutors dropped all charges after he completed a probationary period, staying out of trouble and repaying $68,000 in campaign funds that he'd used for personal expenses, the Chicago Tribune reported.