2005

In 2005, my then partner and I read in the local paper about our upcoming city elections. I read that Matthew Marchant, the son of the then Congressman, Kenny Marchant, was running for the seat his father used to occupy. I knew his father did not like gay people, and I also didn't believe that political offices came with legacy admissions. I saw that a councilmember, Becky Miller, was running against Matthew and she mentioned diversity in her interview. I called her and within minutes we set up a face-to-face meeting at Starbucks. At that meeting I decided to be sure she got elected.

During the next several weeks I was introduced to other candidates who needed volunteers. I met John Mahalik who was running for Place 2. John was young and inexperienced. I had watched just enough of The West Wing to feel I could help. At one of John's first meet & greet meetings, I met a man who seemed to know me and asked me if I was the "Purple Roof's Realtor". Purple roofs was a LGBTQ referral website. This was the first time I was researched and confronted as the "gay" guy the right was targeting. This was the beginning of the "Google him" campaign to out me as a gay activist. They wouldn't say "Oh, you know Bob is gay". They would say "Google him and see what you find".

After helping Becky Miller win the election for Carrollton Mayor, I received this anonymous threatening letter