“It seems to be headline news when somebody is gay or somebody is lesbian,” said Victory Fund endorsee Kevin Beckner. “I still struggle to understand why it’s a breaking story when you talk about somebody being gay or being lesbian… This isn’t a lifestyle. This isn’t something we have chosen to be; it’s who we are.”

Hillsborough County Commission candidate Kevin Beckner spoke to Creative Loafing Tampa about his race and how his sexual orientation has factored into it. Conducting the interview alongside lesbian Pinellas County Commission candidate Darden Rice, Beckner said that his county should be welcoming to the gay community due in no small part to the economic opportunities presented by gay tourists.

Beckner is running against incumbent Brian Blair, who recently spoke out against a Day of Silence for gay youth.

The article reads:

Like Brian Blair’s attack on the “Day of Silence?” Have voters brought that up to you?

Beckner: People asked about the Day of Silence. I think you all as the media, you got it pretty right when you said that this is an election year; the Day of Silence has been going on for years, and why [is Blair] bringing this up now? … This was a precursor, a preemptive strike in his behalf to test the waters on how he can drive a social wedge issue back into the campaign. He’s been about dividing the community rather than uniting the community.

Have you had a chance to talk to any non-out gay officials for advice or words of encouragement?

Beckner: I’ve had a lot of conversations. And I think this is another thing people don’t realize, too. You’re talking about “openly gay” candidates, but they don’t realize we’re not so different from other people. I’ve been in a long-term, committed relationship for the last nine years. My significant other has greatly served this community in the role of law enforcement for over 23 years. A lot of times when people hear about openly gay, they have these stereotypes and don’t realize we’re not so different than everyone else. We all face a lot of the same issues and have a lot of the same concerns. I think a lot of times when people think of “Oh, the first openly gay candidate” they don’t realize that Hillsborough County and counties across the state have been electing officials for years that have been gay but have not chosen to talk about their personal life. People just need to know some of the highest-ranking officials in this state happen to be gay, and they’re doing a phenomenal job; they just don’t talk about it.