Ottawa-area MPP puts ‘fear aside’ and comes out in op-ed as gay

Growing up as a teenager, Jeremy Roberts found himself always involved in politics and often heard people tell him he'd one day become a politician.

After spending years running for student council, volunteering for campaigns and getting involved in his community, it was a career Roberts always desired.

“But deep down, I had this anxiety all the time,” he told CityNews Ottawa. “When I finally did make the decision to run, I remember going to my first door and just feeling this huge sense of dread, wondering if somebody at the door, somebody at an event, would ask me this question that I'm not ready to talk about.

“That really did follow me for many years, right up until I was even elected. Today, it's very nice to finally be putting that fear aside.”

Roberts, who's currently the Progressive Conservative MPP for Ottawa West–Nepean, wrote an op-ed announcing he's gay. Released on Tuesday, March 15 in the Ottawa Citizen, the politician explains his coming out journey as both “positive and liberating.”

But for years, Roberts was afraid his sexuality would always be at odds with his career in politics.

“I was very fortunate in my coming out journey; I had very supportive family and friends,” he says. “But for me, where a lot of anxiety lay, was about my career. I knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to be involved in politics, … but I worried for years and years and years that the fact that I was gay would stop me from being able to be in politics.

“I convinced myself for many, many years that I had to choose between either the job I wanted or living who I was and living my identity.”

Roberts was elected in the 2018 Ontario general election, winning a tight contest in his riding.

It was only two years ago when Roberts says he met his partner who “changed his life,” helping him gain the confidence to be open and share his sexuality with others.

“The result has been nothing but positive,” Roberts says. “Everyone has just been happy that I've been happy. That's what led to my decision today to make that a little bit more public.”

Roberts and his partner discussed several potential issues about publicizing his identity, including the impact it could have on Roberts' political career and whether Roberts even wanted the public to know about his sexuality.

“Politics is a messy business these days,” Roberts says. “Social media can be a bit of a toxic environment, as well.”

But when Roberts was younger, he says he'd often think about the various politicians who had made their sexuality known to the public.

Even in Ottawa, Roberts says there have been great examples, including former elected official Alex Munter who came out in 1993 and Mayor Jim Watson who came out after 40 years.

“I remember thinking to myself, 'If they can be out, maybe I can, too,'” Roberts says. “That led me to wanting to do this. If I can add one extra name to that list of folks for young persons struggling with this decision, to give them an extra bit of confidence, I think that's worth it because it was certainly worth it for me.”