New Mexico State University Board of Regents' Vice Chair Javier Gonzales has announced that he is gay in a personal essay online.
The former chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico states in the essay: " As a kid, I never considered a lifestyle different from that of my parents and theirs before me. I thought I’d marry a local girl, have kids, and then grandkids. I tried my hardest not to be different, but the reality was I am, and I have a failed marriage to prove it. Single again, I took steps towards accepting who I am. Yet I still worried about any embarrassment I would bring to my family, questioned whether being gay was a choice as many still believe it is, and whether I was right in the eyes of God."
On Gonzales' twitter page, a post states, "It's been an incredible day. I'm blessed. Thankful to so many for sharing my story."