...the adjacent communities of North Attleborough and Attleboro. (Sic. I am not responsible for the peculiarities of Massachusetts’s official orthography.)

“Read my lips, no new taxes.” (The phrase has always bothered me because it is illogical—you tell people to read your lips when they cannot hear you, and this does not apply when you are speaking to them through a microphone.)

These made me laugh out loud.

One thing I noticed immediately from this article is that people seemed to seriously respect this guy, regardless of his sexuality. I have a strong suspicion that his work, personality, interactions with people, and everything else had a major effect on how people responded to him initially coming out. He also seems like a very humble person who doesn't ever except anything from anyone, which certainly helps in situations like this.

Media response was also largely favorable. The right-wing Washington Times, owned by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, enthusiastically added gay bashing to its regular denunciations of me—in which I took considerable pride—but they were a minor exception.

This is such a minor detail, but if you are't familiar with the epicness of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, prepare yourself for another couple long reads. Amazing stuff:

Sun Myung Moon's lost Ecotopia

Unification Church Profile: The Fall of the House of Moon

I also love reading about (the second link I posted above is another good example of this) the younger versions of all these political figures that we know so well today. In some cases, it's a bit funny and humanizing. In others, like Newt Gingrich's case, a bit depressing.

Excellent, excellent read. Thank you for sharing.