A former police detective claims the
Alabama GOP blocked him from running for sheriff of Limestone County
as a Republican because he's gay.
Jason White, who is married to Brett
Jones, the first openly gay Navy SEAL, said that the Limestone County
Republican Party voted down his application on Tuesday.
“It's very un-American to me to not
allow citizens to decide who they want to serve,” White, 40, told
WAFF
48 News. “I would think that any citizen who qualifies to run
for an office should be allowed to be on the ballot.”
In 2002, when he was married to a
woman, White ran for sheriff as a Republican.
White said that he was questioned by a
steering committee. He said that the bulk of that conversation had
to do with his sexual orientation.
“I've always been a Republican and it
seems crystal clear to me why they don't want me to run: My sexual
orientation. It was even on the questionnaire they had me fill out
prior to [meeting with] the steering committee,” White said,
referring to a question that asked whether he supports “traditional
marriage.”
The Limestone County GOP said that they
blocked White's access because they could not verify that he was a
Republican.
White said that he will run as an
independent.