A purchase made at a gay sex shop in Toronto then billed to taxpayers as a work expense has prompted a Republican politician in the United States to reveal he is gay.

Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven, Mississippi, is at the centre of a spending scandal after a local newspaper revealed the politician had billed taxpayers for an estimated $170,000, including expensive dinners, a pricey family vacation and purchases at local liquor stores.

But it’s the $67 for unnamed merchandise from Priape, a gay sex shop near the intersection of Church and Wellesley Sts., that has caused the biggest stir for Davis, who has previously run for office on a conservative, family-values platform.

When asked about the purchase last week, Davis told the Memphis, Tennessee-based newspaper The Commercial Appeal, that he is gay and can no longer maintain a separation between his personal and public life.

“While I have performed my job as mayor, in my opinion, as a very conservative, progressive individual — and still continue to be a very conservative individual — I think that it is important that I discuss the struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the realization that I am gay,” he told the newspaper.

Davis was in Toronto for a recruitment trip, and didn’t remember what he bought at Priape, he told the newspaper.

An employee at Priape, which specializes in DVDs, sex toys, leather, and clothing among other products catering to gay men, declined to comment Monday.

According to his website, Davis has a wife of 19 years, Suzann, and three young girls. He is currently serving his fourth term as mayor, and ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in 2008.

The receipts were obtained by state auditors in an effort to reduce an estimated $170,000 they have demanded the mayor repay for illegitimate charges, the Commerical Appeal reported. The newspaper subsequently got hold of the receipts under a Freedom of Information request.

Davis has stated he won’t comment on the possibility of resigning as Southaven’s mayor, but said he would take some time off work to spend time with his family.

“At this point, my goal is to ensure that for the next year and a half that the city continues to grow,” he told the Commerical Appeal. “I will evaluate whether I will run again as mayor at a later time.”