Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Andrew Gillum. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, came out as bisexual in an interview with Tamron Hall on Monday.
Driving the news: "I don’t identify as gay, but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something that I have never shared publicly before," Gillum, who was once considered a rising star in the Democratic party after his Florida gubernatorial run in 2018, told Hall.
Background: In March, Gillum was found inebriated in a Florida motel room with two men, one of whom was identified as a male escort who was being treated for a drug overdose. Gillum later issued a statement saying he planned to withdraw from public life to deal with his alcohol abuse.
- "Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse," he said. "I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated. I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles."
Gillum lost the close Florida governor's race to Republican Ron DeSantis by less than half a percentage point and was widely seen as an up-and-coming political star prior to his withdrawal from public life.
- R. Jai Gillum, Gillum's wife, told Hall that she viewed sexuality as something that exists on a spectrum. "All I care about is what’s between us and what agreement we make,” she told Hall.