Former congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL), the once-rising GOP rockstar who resigned in 2015 amid reports that he spent government and campaign money to fund his luxurious lifestyle, officially came out gay on Thursday after long speculation about his sexuality.

In a lengthy post to his website, Schock announced “I am gay” and even expressed regret for his past social conservative stances on issues like same-sex marriage.

“For those who know me and for many who only know of me, this will come as no surprise,” he began. “The fact that I am gay is just one of those things in my life in need of explicit affirmation, to remove any doubt and to finally validate who I am as a person. In many ways I regret the time wasted in not having done so sooner.”

“I offer my story as one person’s experience. I’ve come to believe it is, in some respects, just a more public version of a difficult and ultimately, now optimistic, journey familiar to many LGBTQ people,” he continued.

Schock went on to describe his childhood growing up in the Midwest, where his parents were members of the Apostolic Christian Church, a denomination with some strict tenets, such as believing that watching television was “sinfully idle.” However, his family eventually attended a “less rigid” congregation where he began to thrive as a Bible-believing Christian.

“In many ways, I thrived in this environment. It helped me to live with a feeling of purpose and taught me to try to treat others as I would want to be treated,” said Schock. “Memorizing Bible verses, going to church camp, attending services at least twice a week – that was my world.”

“I’m sure I knew other gay people in those years of growing up, but I don’t think any of us were aware of it,” he continued. “I understood that the teachings of my upbringing were pretty clear on the matter. Because of it, as I got older and first felt myself drawn in the direction of my natural orientation, I didn’t want to think about it. I always preferred to force my thoughts in other directions, leaving a final answer about that for another day.”

Schock became the youngest member of Congress in 2009. Being a handsome, young, physically fit GOP rockstar put him on a lot of people’s radar, which culminated in, what he claims, were false reports alleging that he used government and campaign funds to benefit himself. All charges against him were “dropped in 2019 amid criticism of how prosecutors handled the case,” as reported by Fox News.

“The trial never happened because, last March, government prosecutors asked the judge to dismiss the indictment and all of the charges against me,” exclaimed Schock. “After the four years of legal hell finally ended this past March, the joy of vindication was met with the reality of facing my truth with those closest to me.”

Speculation about Schock’s sexuality quickly ramped up in 2019 when photos surfaced of him kissing a man at the Coachella Music Festival, which led to him coming out to his family and loved ones. Though his mother has somewhat begun to accept his sexuality, his family largely shunned him, according to Schock.

“To characterize some of these conversations with my family in general, it’s fair to say it has not been a case of instant acceptance and understanding,” he said of the experience. “What I had to share was unwelcome news to every single person in my family, out of the blue in some cases, and was met with sadness, disappointment, and unsympathetic citations to Scripture.”

“I do hold out hope that, over time, my family will come to accept me as I am,” he continued. ” I remind them that I am still the same Aaron they have always known, the one they were so proud of not long ago. I realize that, having gone through a tough and lonely career ordeal, I’ve come to need them only more.”

Schock closes his letter by addressing his prior opposition to same-sex marriage, which he now says was “wrong.” He, however, noted that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton took similar stances.

“I can live openly now as a gay man because of the extraordinary, brave people who had the courage to fight for our rights when I did not: community activists, leaders, and ordinary LGBT folks,” he concluded. “Gay bloggers who rallied people to our cause. I recognize this even in the face of the intense and sometimes vicious criticism that I’ve received from those same people. The truth is that if I were in Congress today, I would support LGBTQ rights in every way I could. I realize that some of my political positions run very much counter to the mainstream of the LGBTQ movement, and I respect them for those differences. I hope people will allow for me the same.”