SCHOCK AND AWE

Former Illinois congressman Aaron Schock penned a lengthy coming-out letter to the public, which was posted to Instagram as well as his own website in March.

In the letter, Shock expressed “regret” for not coming out sooner and detailed “a difficult and ultimately, now optimistic, journey familiar to many LGBTQ people.” This included being raised in a conservative religious household and, once arriving in Washington, D.C., at age 27, putting “my ambition over the truth, which not only hurt me, but others as well.”

Schock also expressed no love for the media. fandom, which he debunked as false, and “a dog whistle” about his being a closeted gay man.