Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) says he is gay.
Schock came out via social media Thursday.
He said as he grew older and began to realize he was gay, he pushed his sexual orientation aside and instead focused on his business and political careers.
Schock was elected to Congress at age 27 in 2009. He wrote that he put his ambition over the truth about his sexual orientation, and said that hurt himself and others.
Schock resigned from Congress in 2015 after he was indicted on federal corruption charges. Those charges were dropped last year.
Schock said he's gradually come out to people close to him over the past year after compromising photos of him at Coachella leaked onto the Internet. He said he planned to come out to his mother last Easter, but was told not to come after the photos were posted. He said he's since reconciled with her.
"My approach since has been rooted in an appreciation for how long it took me to overcome my own resistance to being gay," he wrote." As much as I would like for my family to quickly change about the way they view it, I’ve come to terms with the fact that it might take my loved ones more time than I would like. And I realize some might never come around."
He wrote that he would now support LGBTQ rights "in every way I could" if he were still in Congress. He opposed them during his political career.
"This journey has taught me a valuable lesson: that, whether you are gay or straight, it’s never too late to be authentic and true to yourself," Schock wrote.
