Gov. candidate Dixon fields questions about abuse, his sexual ‘confusion’

Sen. Bob Dixon shared details Wednesday about the abuse he says caused his sexual confusion as a teenager, but he left other aspects of what his mother has called his temporary homosexuality a mystery.

The campaign for Dixon, a Republican candidate for governor, released a statement this week saying abuse he suffered as a child caused him to be sexually “confused” as a teenager.

The statement was made in response to media outlets publishing comments that Dixon’s mother made in a 23-year-old News-Leader article — in which she said her son “struggled” with homosexuality as a teenager.

During a roughly 50-minute interview with the News-Leader on Wednesday, Dixon offered some new insights into the abuse he suffered and clarified some of the comments he made in his statement.

But Dixon also refused to answer some questions about his past, including one asking about the religious experience that his mother says caused him to change his sexual orientation.

In 1992, Dixon’s mother told the News-Leader she had been vehemently opposed to a 1989 play at Missouri State University that explored the topics of homosexuality and AIDS because her son had been gay while he was a teenager.

Asked if he was upset with his mother’s comments to the newspaper, Dixon did not bemoan what his mother did, but said it is important for people to let victims disclose abuse on their own terms. Dixon says he suffered the abuse at age 9 and told his parents about it at age 19.

“Let me say this. I love my parents. And I would just repeat what I said earlier. We just need to give victims the space and the safety they need to disclose when and how they wish to do it.”

The old article states Dixon lived for five years as a homosexual until a religious experience caused him to change in late October 1988.

Dixon declined to discuss the experience or say what it was. Dixon said that while he has spoken “generically” about his faith while campaigning, he doesn’t believe government should intrude on private religious matters, and as an officeholder he doesn’t share too much about his specific religious views.

During the interview, Dixon declined to disclose the identity of his abuser. He said the person was not criminally prosecuted but that he was confident the person would not hurt anyone else.

“Let me state that the abuse didn’t happen in Missouri ... That person, and this is really all I am going to say about this, that person was dealt with directly, and very effectively. And I know they are not — I look forward into the next generation, that’s why I’ve worked on some of the things I’ve worked on — I know they are not in a position to harm anyone else. And I’m confident in that.”

Asked if his abuser ever faced criminal prosecution, Dixon said: “I doubt there could have been. And that’s why it was dealt with effectively and directly.”

Points clarified

In the statement Dixon released earlier this week, he said, “Through the years, I have publicly spoken about being abused as a child and the confusion this caused me as a teenager.”

On Wednesday, Dixon while abuse caused him sexual confusion, he doesn’t believe abuse turns people gay.

“Do I think child abuse makes people gay? The answer is no,” Dixon said in the interview.

He also clarified this comment: “I have put the childhood abuse, and the teenage confusion behind me,” he said. “What others intended for harm has resulted in untold good. I have overcome, and will not allow evil to win.”

On Wednesday, Dixon said the comment on “evil” referred only to child abuse and was not an indictment of homosexuality.

“I’m speaking to child abuse,” Dixon said. “There are hundreds, literally thousands of Missourians who understand how heartbreaking and devastating childhood abuse can be and the impacts it can have. And I will call a spade a spade, and that is an evil.”

Dixon said he first talked about the abuse he suffered during a 1991 Springfield City Council meeting.

City Council meeting minutes state Dixon was one of 16 speakers who opposed a bias-crime ordinance, which would have created greater penalties for people who committed crimes that were “bias-motivated offenses,” but the minutes did not include his specific comments.

Dixon said Wednesday he spoke at the council meeting about the abuse he suffered and the subsequent confusion about his sexuality, but he did not remember much else of what he said.

Dixon said he has since spoken about the abuse he suffered — not the confusion it brought him as a teenager — at other public functions while advocating for stronger protections for children and for programs that would help victims of abuse.

He also said he has had “hundreds” of private conversations where he disclosed to other victims that he too was abused. Dixon’s statement noted he has worked to pass legislation aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse, including the Child Witness Protection Act.

Political fallout

Asked if the publicity over his mother’s comments has hurt him politically, either with voters or with donors, Dixon said:

“Not at all.”

In his statement, Dixon decried “people who to this day try to turn politics into a blood sport,” and said he would not be fearful during his campaign.

On Wednesday, he reiterated those remarks and said he has been “blown away” by supportive texts, emails and Facebook messages since he started his campaign and after his mother’s old comments made new headlines.

When he made his campaign announcement, Dixon was quick to point out his conservative stances, noting in his announcement speech that he supports the Second Amendment, is pro-life and is a proponent of traditional marriage. This last statement, coupled with Dixon’s sexual confusion as a teenager, stirred questions about his stance on gay rights issues.

Gay marriage is no longer the pre-eminent gay rights issue in the Show Me State. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month made gay marriage legal in all 50 states. That likely leaves the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act — which among other things would prevent employers from discriminating against gays — as the state’s biggest gay rights issue.

Dixon on Wednesday did not reveal his position on the legislation, which failed to move through the legislature last year.

“The only other thing I will say is what I said in the Capitol. I think it is a sad day when we have to — and this is not a statement about the bill itself, this is a statement about us as people — I think it’s a sad day when we have to have laws to tell us to respect people. I have and I will consistently demonstrate respect for all people both publicly and privately.”

Dixon said as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he granted the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act a committee hearing during the legislative session earlier this year. But he stopped short of saying he would support the measure.

“As with all legislation, I try to reserve judgment until I have heard from everyone. And that’s an ongoing policy discussion that we need to have,” Dixon said.

Examples of News-Leader questions, Dixon’s specific responses

■Were the comments you made about evil in your statement meant to include homosexuality?

“(child abuse) That’s all I’m talking about in the whole statement ... I’m speaking to child abuse. There are hundreds, literally thousands of Missourians who understand how heartbreaking and devastating childhood abuse can be and the impacts it can have. And I will call a spade a spade, and that is an evil.”

■Did you feel you were a gay man? Did you fear you were a gay man? Was there a sense of fear coming out of the abuse that you were gay?

“If you go back and read the statement that I point out, I really tried to address the abuse and the confusion. As I said I was not directly quoted in that (1992) article. Sometimes things become clearer to us — the further away we are from confusion. I think that’s true of all issues. When you are in a place of peace and love and contentment, it’s much easier to see things. So I don’t think any of us would be the same as we were 23 years ago. So I, yeah.”

■ Can you share what that (religious experience) was and how that impacted you?

“ Let me say this about that. I spoke about my faith while I was on my front lawn (while announcing his campaign for governor) because in a political campaign people want to know what a candidate is made of so I opened up my heart and I shared generically who I am. And I wanted to demonstrate openness and transparency, but I believe that religion is a very private matter and specific to my faith. One of the tenets of my faith is you don’t push your faith on other people and I will not use, I never have used the offices that I have served in as a forum to do that ... I don’t think you want government or governmental leaders in that part of our lives. I think that is a private matter for Missourians. That’s sacred.”

■ Dixon on wanting to be open and transparent:

“You know I shared at the capitol that as governor I would embark on a new era of openness in the capitol and I wanted to demonstrate that by granting this interview.”