Portland, Maine -
Openly gay Mike Michaud, who is campaigning to run Maine, served as grand marshal of Portland's Gay Pride Parade, the state's largest.
The 59-year-old gubernatorial candidate marched alongside a white convertible in Saturday's parade, the AP reported.
"Maine has come a long ways and our nation has come a long ways, but there's still a long way to go," he told the wire service.
Michaud, who is hoping to unseat Governor Paul LePage, a Republican, reluctantly came out in a op-ed late last year, saying he wanted to address a whisper campaign about his sexual orientation.
"They want people to question whether I am gay."
"Allow me to save them the trouble with a simple, honest answer: 'Yes I am. But why should it matter?'" he wrote in his op-ed.
He added that his private life is boring.
If elected in November, Michaud, a six-term congressman, would become the nation's first openly gay elected governor. In 2004, former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey came out gay while in office.
The 59-year-old gubernatorial candidate marched alongside a white convertible in Saturday's parade, the AP reported.
"Maine has come a long ways and our nation has come a long ways, but there's still a long way to go," he told the wire service.
Michaud, who is hoping to unseat Governor Paul LePage, a Republican, reluctantly came out in a op-ed late last year, saying he wanted to address a whisper campaign about his sexual orientation.
"They want people to question whether I am gay."
"Allow me to save them the trouble with a simple, honest answer: 'Yes I am. But why should it matter?'" he wrote in his op-ed.
He added that his private life is boring.
If elected in November, Michaud, a six-term congressman, would become the nation's first openly gay elected governor. In 2004, former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey came out gay while in office.
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine
