GOP Maryland Pol Says Gay Marriage Vote Contributed to His Drinking

Don Dwyer, a Republican delegate in the Maryland assembly, gave a candid interview where he discussed his alcoholism and denied his involvement in a boat crash that led to a five-year-old girl's skull being fractured.

Dwyer claims the August 2012 crash was not his fault, even though alcohol was found on his boat and his alcohol limit was three times the legal limit at the time. The politician claims his casual drinking exploded after he separated from his wife of 31 years and after what he called "betrayal" over his stance against same-sex marriage. Two Republicans who he believed would help him stand in the way of marriage equality legislation ended up changing their vote and supporting the bill, which passed (Maryland voters reaffirmed the vote at the ballot in November).

"That betrayal really affected me," he said. "I was physically ill. You pour your heart into an issue like that and it's devastating."

Read the entire profile here in The Maryland Gazette.