The homophobic Californian senator who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving last week after leaving a gay club has come out of the closet during an interview on radio.

“I am gay,” said Roy Ashburn on 1180 KERN Radio this week. “Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.”

Ashburn, a Republican, was arrested last Wednesday morning when police saw him driving erratically. He was over the alcohol limit and had another man in his vehicle.

Since taking office, Ashburn had voted against every gay rights measure in the state Senate, including the Harvey Milk memorial day, recognising gay marriages performed in other states and a measure to ban insurers discriminating against gays.

Ashburn defended his actions by saying, “I felt my duty – and I still feel this way – is to represent my constituents, not my own point of view, not my own internal conflict. I’ve always believed that I could keep my personal life personal and my public life public. But through my own actions, I have made my personal life public.”

55 year old Ashburn says that he feels that being gay did not affect how he did his job.

Ashburn has asked people to pray for him and will face court next month on charges of driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08%.