There’s a little TV in the corner of my kitchen, and in the morning, as I make breakfast, I usually have it tuned to CNN. Today I was shocked to see Jim McGreevey, former governor of New Jersey, talking about his new involvement, an organization called “Faith in America.”
You remember Jimbo. He was the governor who, after someone threatened to expose his alleged affair with a male staffer, decided to spill the beans himself. On August 12, 2004, with his traumatized wife at his side, McGreevey announced to the world, “I am a gay American.”
I don’t believe it. McGreevey isn’t gay—he’s a sociopath.
Many sociopaths, if not most of them, are neither gay nor straight—they’re sexual opportunists. Sex is one of their main objectives in life, and any partner who can provide a thrill is fair game. My ex-husband told me he didn’t have “a gay bone in his body—”at the same time that he was soliciting male prostitutes. I’ve heard from many readers who were shocked to find that not only were their spouses cheating on them, but they were cheating with someone of the same sex. I’ve also asked several gay readers if they thought the sociopaths in their lives were actually gay. The answer is usually no.
Faith in America
Back to McGreevey. I last wrote about him when I reviewed his ex-wife’s book. (See BOOK REVIEW: Silent Partner, by the wife of former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey.) When he made his big announcement, things were not going well for him as governor. In my view, McGreevey played “the gay card” to distract from his political failures.
After being booted from the governor’s mansion, he moved in with a rich male financier and attended an Episcopal seminary. On TV this morning, McGreevey said he graduated from the seminary. But the reason he was on TV was to talk about his involvement with Faith in America.
McGreevey is on the board of directors. Faith in America is an organization dedicated to “ending religion-based bigotry toward LGBT people.” According to its website:
Faith In America was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization in 2005 to effectively counter-message the bigotry, prejudice and hostility toward the LGBT community being sold to the public for several decades under the guise of religious belief and religious teaching.
I think this is an admirable mission. As McGreevey said on TV this morning, many religious organizations quote scripture to justify their condemnation of homosexuals. The organization hopes to promote tolerance, so that regardless of their sexual orientation, people can be their authentic selves.
McGreevey isn’t being authentic. He’s being expedient. He’s found a platform to put himself back in the limelight. A few weeks ago he was on the Joy Behar Show, and today he was on CNN.
In this interview this morning, McGreevey said, “I knew when I was six or seven years old that I was gay.” Really? Is that possible? Society may be moving faster now, but McGreevey is about the same age as me, and when I was six or seven years old, I was clueless about sex, let alone sexual orientation.
Oh well, for the sake of Faith in America, I hope that McGreevey can keep the act going. Time will tell.
Coming soon: The repackaging of Eliot Spitzer.
I very much appreciate the work that you do here and I categorically agree that ALL politicians have sold their souls to the highest bidder.
However, I must take exception to your comments on the sexuality of very young people. Some children may not have any idea of sexuality in general and/or their own sexuality to come but some children ARE extremely aware of themselves and sexuality around them and to paint all children with one brush does a disservice to them and to society as a whole. We need more understanding of the ways in which we differ (in healthy ways, of course) and it is perfectly healthy for very young children to know they are sexual beings. I firmly believe that if society were more open to understanding and not suppressing the ways young people express HEALTHY sexuality, there would be MUCH less perversions throughout our world. The majority of perversions (sociopathic and the like) begin in VERY young childhood. I would bet that SOME of sociopathy’s origins stems from a misdirected/damaged sexual energy.
Keep up your very fine work.
Dear Thetruth,
Thank you for your contribution here to LF, while I don’t agree that sociopathy’s origins STEM from misdirected/damaged sexual energy (from an early or any age) I do agree that sociopaths ARE frequently sexual predators and data show that they tend to be very sexually active with multiple partners and more likely to be active with inappropriate partners (i.e. pedophiles) as well as a variety of partners. That data in no way shows CAUSATION though. There seems to be a very definite genetic connection, and twin studies of twins raised apart by adoptive families shows a high correlation between identical twins both being psychopathic if one is, regardless of the environment in which they are reared.
While I agree that young children are aware of gender differences quite young, I don’t think being aware of GENDER differences correlates so much to “sexual” differences at an EARLY age. In other words, I was aware of being a “girl” quite early, but though familiar with my own body, had no idea of sexuality until much later, or even the differences in anatomy between male and female.
When you talk about the “majority of perversions” (define perversions) beginning in very young childhood I think, again, the definition of “perversions” is important to continue the discussion about this. My definition of “perversions” might not be the same as yours. Like the old joke about “to tickle your lover with a feather is kinky, but to use the whole chicken is a perversion.” LOL
Oh, as for your first sentence in your post, my opinion entirely, and am anxious to see which set of crooks gets elected today. I AM going to vote, hopefully for the lesser of the two or three evils on the ballots. LOL Thanks again for your post! Glad you are here!
Donna, this is a very interesting comment – one which I never thought about. However, years ago when this “I am a gay american” speech happened – I was dating his friend/confidant. His friend told me, that Jim was gay – and the whole “wife” thing was a cover up due to politics. Now, it could be that Jim is both gay and a sociopath. It’s possible. Anything is possible. Having been with a pathological liar and sociopath – I don’t rule anything out anymore.
Czarinamom,
Before the gay McGreevey scandal broke, I read a magazine article about him either Philadelphia Magazine or New Jersey Monthly. I thought the behavior described in the article – with no mention of sexuality – sounded like a sociopath.
The behavior described in his ex-wife’s book also sounds like a sociopath.
For sociopaths, sex is part of the manipulation tool box. They’ll use it with whoever suits their agenda at the time.
I think just as some psychopaths like chocolate and some like vanilla and some will eat either chocolate or vanilla, I think psychopaths are kind of like that with sexual orientation. Some prefer to swing one way and some another, and some will screw a snake if someone will hold it still.
The article here on LF about psychopaths are “neither gay nor straight” I think sums it up pretty well. Sex I think to them is more like a “bodily function” that may be pleasurable, but there’s no “connection” to other people involved in the act. If there is another party involved in the “bodily function” I think it is more like a “sex toy” rather than a living being who is participating in a bonding ritual between two humans.
I think i may have just had a call from the spath. I have only two numbers (to my knowledge, can’t access the list function on my handset) blocked on my phone.
I do have private numbers blocked – but they don’t come up ‘caller blocked’, just as private. there is also always a phone number in the phone log when i get private calls. this time there is none.
so, don’t know. but maybe. gotta love call block. i think my xmas gift to myself will be a new private phone number. that would be even better.
One:
I’ve received two private calls in the past week. I answer and it sounds just like spath used to do when he’d butt dial……sounds like the phone is inside a jacket pocket scratching around……
Ya gotta wonder.
He changes his phones….YES PHONES…..frequently, (that’s what drug dealers do ya know)…..
Keep the balance baby…..I say, get that x-mas gift to yourself early if you can.
Block em out!
yah know eb, there is software that you can use to listen in on a cell phone….this must be a sign of my healing (as long as applied correctly; as in don’t do it) that i have the energy to even shallowly contemplate such a thing.
i wrote a whack of stuff about the fake story tonight. first time really. wrote lots of details about a couple of the dramas i went through. i had the idea earlier today (while sitting in the shrinks office during neuro-feedback) that i could forgive myself back then – that i was doing the best i could at the time. i thought he was real and i cared for him. a lot. i can’t play it backward and judge myself; i didn’t know it was a lie. i was caught up emotionally, and I didn’t read the facts dispassionately – in fact read some of them all the more passionately and tried passionately to ignore the very bad behavior of the bf.
i hear the caution in your voice the last days; are you keeping safe?
I am truly upset because I recently found out that my S becomes a CEO of a company that has office in Hong Kong and LA, paramount studios even! Worst, is my paralegals/lawyer in Las Vegas did not received his signed docs, to proceed with our annulment.
I did not ask him to pay back all the money he owed me, I just want to get rid of him and not to be attached in names with him anymore. I wrote a blog to get him out, he post nasty stuff about me. I paid for everything, so why does he still not want to end our marriage??? I don’t get it. I don’t dare to buy any property, put anything in my name, because of him.
I have a company to run here, I don’t have time to play these games with him. I feel so drained with all these issues, that it affects my work, so most of the times I just buried it and not think about it. I don’t know how to deal with him anymore. How am I going to get people to believe me, when he managed to fool so many?
One:
Yes, keeping safe and aware. I’m taking steps to arm and protect….my constitutional right!
Just had a cop outside…..had a nice chat with him about this ‘current’ issue…..he offered a bit of reassurance AND info on the topic.
he also offered to come by and help with the landscaping for 10%. 🙂