In what some analysts call a sign of growing gay political clout, a Pennsylvania state representative from Philadelphia has accused her male primary challenger of pretending to be bisexual in order to pander to the district's LGBT voters.
According toThe Philadelphia Inquirer, in Center City's 182nd state house district, "Veteran Rep. Babette Josephs (D., Phila.) last Thursday accused her primary opponent, Gregg Kravitz, of pretending to be bisexual in order to pander to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender voters, a powerful bloc in the district."
"I outed him as a straight person," Josephs said during a fund-raiser, according to the Inquirer, "and now he goes around telling people, quote, 'I swing both ways.' That's quite a respectful way to talk about sexuality. This guy's a gem."
The Inquirer reports that Kravitz, 29, said he is bisexual and that the taunting is offensive.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segal said, "We've hit a new high point when candidates are accused of pretending to be gay to win a seat,"
The 70-year-old Josephs has the endorsement of gay leaders like Segal and the Liberty City Democrats, Philadelphia's LGBT political club. According to the Inquirer, Josephs has worked to block the passage of a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, and to add sexual orientation to the state's hate-crimes law.
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