DELHI PRESS
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 | BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS | PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
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‘I’m coming out:’ Jeff Pastor says he’s a polyamorous atheist Sharon Coolidge Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Pastor has made headlines for how he won his seat, for hosting a women-only gun permit class in a church, even for how loud his dog barks. He's cried during council meetings, posted shirtless photos of his increasingly tattooed body on social media, and called out critics in an expletive-laden social media post. But even on the Pastor scale, what happened recently was off the charts. The black Republican – who won his council seat by a scant 233 votes – has never said or written anything like the essay he posted on Medium.com. “I’m coming out,” he declared in the headline. What followed was a proclamation that attempted to defi ne, seemingly once and for all, a life that Pastor has been redefi ning for years. In his essay, the married father of four, who ran for offi ce as a God-fearing conservative Republican, pronounced himself a “polyamorous” atheist who has explored group sex. Even by Pastor’s standards, it was a lot to unpack. Yet it was, in some ways, consistent with his long struggle to explain to the world – and to himself – who he is and what he believes. “I want to be in charge of telling my own story,” Pastor, 36, told The Enquirer. “I wanted to say what I believe.” According to his essay, his story now goes something like this: "I am now, fi nally, ALIVE at 36. Here is my 'coming out', my liberation, my freedom. A Black guy who is obsessed with Malcom X and Ayn Rand economic teachings, a suppressed polyamorous guy who believes that children represent eternal life, an atheist Jew who fi nds truth in agnosticism, humanism, theism, African/Chinese/Native American spirituality Democrats, Republicans, humans." Whether the essay makes his story more clear or more muddled is debatable, but Pastor doesn’t seem to care. It makes sense to him. It’s who he is, right here and now, and if people don’t get it, he’ll live with that. This is not the fi rst time Pastor has shocked his supporters and critics. He’s portrayed himself for years as a non-traditional politician and person: A black Republican who didn’t always adhere to party dogma, a Christian who converted to Judaism and attacked critics in expletive-laced social media posts.
'I want to live in my freedom' Pastor said the idea to write the essay came to him while he was following the stay-at-home order issued during the coronavirus pandemic. He had a lot of time to think, and he spent it thinking about his faith, his sexuality and the very concept of a higher power. So, he the put pen to paper, typed an essay on Medium.com and threw in a provocative headline. He said his wife, Tara, who is pregnant with their fi fth child, supported the decision. "Tara told me to write it. For a number of years, I have been in fear that I would be ostracized for who I am," Pastor said. "I want to live in my freedom and liberty." The essay quickly made the rounds on social media,
Pastor and his wife Tara at their North Avondale home Jan. 16. CARA OWSLEY/THE ENQUIRER
especially among those who follow local politics. But while Pastor saw it as a bold, defi ning statement, a declaration of liberty, many others were just confused. What did he mean? Was he bisexual? Was he really an atheist? When asked to explain, Pastor said he’s decided his beliefs and sexuality don’t fi t simple, traditional defi nitions. "Honestly, I have questioned my sexuality," he told The Enquirer. "If I was heterosexual? Or bisexual? I determined it was about me being polyamorous, being with more than one woman. Monogamy has been shoved down our throats as one-size-fi ts-all and it's not. You can love multiple people and love is expansive. I believe all humans were made to be poly." In the essay Pastor called himself "repressed", suggesting he has not acted on his polyamorous desires. But that's not entirely true, he told The Enquirer. "Yes, we tried poly relationships, but it didn't work out," he said. "That's the truth." For Pastor, the essay may bring some clarity. But it complicates life for many of those around him, especially fellow Republicans who aren’t exactly known for embracing atheism or the polyamorous lifestyle.
Was essay 'political suicide?' Former Cincinnati City Councilman Charlie Winburn, one of Pastor’s mentors, said his protégé might need to explain his beliefs in more detail to the community if he expects to win over voters in the next election. "We’re in a society where I don't think people care if he’s an atheist or polyamorous," said Winburn, who is pastor of Renew Community Church and is running
for election this year as Hamilton County Treasurer. "But I think he’s going to have to clarify his atheist opinion with the African American community because in Hamilton County something like 78% of African Americans are Christians. "He’s the fi rst African American that I know of to say he’s polyamorous. White people use that term; black people use the word 'group sex.' " And "group sex" is what people thought when they read the essay, Winburn said. Still, Winburn said, many voters understand Pastor, like everyone else, is “trying to fi nd a purpose.” He may have chosen an unorthodox way to carry out his journey, but it’s a journey people can relate to. "I don’t think in the long run any of this hurts him,” Winburn said, noting that it hasn’t changed his personal view of Pastor. "Charlie Winburn supports Jeff Pastor." Lincoln Ware, a longtime radio host on 1320 The Buzz, said the essay "could have been political suicide," but so far, it doesn't seem to be based on what Ware is hearing from his audience. Ware described Pastor as "a diff erent kind of councilman." "OK. So he’s an atheist. He’s polyamorous," Ware said. "That latter shocked me in this conservative town. It could be what breaks him more down the road. Or maybe people think what he does in his bedroom and in his life, is his business. It's hard to tell. You may not hear anything about it until he decided to run again." Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafi lou said he also views Pastor’s essay as part of See PASTOR, Page 2A
National Dems to help Kate Schroder in race to unseat Steve Chabot Scott Wartman Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Westwood Republican Steve Chabot has lost his congressional seat only once in 26 years. The national Democrats think their candidate, Clifton health care executive Kate Schroder, could become the second Democrat to beat the veteran congressman. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on May 28 included Schroder in its list of 19 candidates they think have a good chance to unseat GOP incumbents in Congress this year. By joining the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program, Schroder will get added fi nancial and organizational backing from the national party. Democrats see the 1st Congressional District in Southwest Ohio is one of the few competitive districts in the state. A spokeswoman with the National Republican Campaign Committee responded to the DCCC’s an-
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Democrat Kate Schroder
Republican Steve Chabot
nouncement by calling Schroder a “socialist.” Chabot, in a statement, shrugged off the news. “Like most Ohioans, I don’t put too much stock in the obsessive list-making of political insiders in Washington,” Chabot said in the statement. Schroder, 43, just won the Democratic primary for
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ELECTIONS 2020 the congressional seat with the backing of many prominent Democrats, including Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. This is her fi rst run at public offi ce. Schroder spent the last 12 years working for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, affi liated with Bill and Hillary Clinton’s foundation. The organization has 1,500 employees spread across 35 countries, and Schroder’s focus mostly was on improving health outcomes for children in Africa. She’s a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2010. If she can win, it would be the fi rst time in 12 years a Democrat took the district; Steve Driehaus won in 2008 but lost it to Chabot in a rematch two years later. Schroder said in a statement: “As a lifelong public health professional and a cancer survivor, I know that it is more important than ever to have leaders who will work for better healthcare, protect people with pre-existing conditions, and lower the price of prescription drugs.”
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