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Tags: andrew gillum | florida | bisexual | lgbt | rehab

Former Florida Governor Candidate Andrew Gillum Comes Out as Bisexual

gillum in a suit and light blue shirt wearing glasses
Andrew Gillum (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

By    |   Monday, 14 September 2020 01:07 PM EDT

Andrew Gillum has revealed that he identifies as bisexual. The former Florida gubernatorial candidate, who lost the general election to Ron DeSantis by fewer than 34,000 votes, has remained silent since a wild night at a Miami Beach hotel room in March ended with cops being called. The Democrat dropped the bombshell during an interview with Tamron Hall, which aired on Monday.

When asked about his private life, Gillum was quick to clarify his sexual preferences.

"I don’t identify as gay but I do identify as bisexual," Gillum said, per Tampa Bay Times. "And that is something that I have never shared publicly before."

His wife R. Jai Gillum was also interviewed and said she did not care about her husband’s bisexuality, only about the "agreement" that they have.

During the interview, Gillum opened up about the night he was discovered in the Miami hotel room inebriated and with a man suspected of overdosing on crystal meth. After the incident, a photo circulated of a man passed out in vomit on the floor of the room. Gillum now admits that was a photo of him.

"When that photo came out, I didn’t recognize the person on the floor," Gillum told Hall. "That was not anything more than a person being at their most vulnerable state, unconscious, having given no consent, and someone decided to use a moment where I was literally lying in my own vomit."

Shortly after the incident, Gillum announced his withdrawal from politics to enter a rehabilitation facility. The husband and father of three young children said he wanted to focus on his alcoholism. Speaking with Hall, Gillum explained why he had visited the hotel room that night.

"I would say the reason why I went to that room is probably no different than how anybody might communicate with someone that they are in a friendship, relationship, whatever, with," he said. "I’m still here by the grace of God. So much of my recovery has been about trying to get over shame."

Zoe Papadakis

Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
Andrew Gillum has revealed that he identifies as bisexual. The former Florida gubernatorial candidate, who lost the general election to Ron DeSantis by fewer than 34,000 votes, has remained silent since a wild night at a Miami Beach hotel room in March ended with cops being...
andrew gillum, florida, bisexual, lgbt, rehab
337
2020-07-14
Monday, 14 September 2020 01:07 PM
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