Crist, the Green Iguana and acting ‘feminine’
March 11th, 2008 by Wayne Garcia in Crist Gaywatch, Florida Politics, People, PoliticsThe owner of the Green Iguana in Tampa tells the New Times‘ political writer Bob Norman that Gov. Charlie Crist used to frequent his bar in the 1990s and acted very, well, gay:
The story goes that the Florida governor frequented the Green Iguana, a bar in Tampa, back in the early 1990s when he was just starting his political career. He was less careful back then, people say, and during his partying at the Green Iguana, he was openly gay.
When I got Rick Calderoni, the bar’s well-known owner, on the phone, I expected him to stonewall me about it.
He didn’t.
Calderoni, who is gay, confirmed that Crist came into his bar quite often and that the two of them became friends.
Getting to the point, I asked him if he knew Crist to be gay.
“Yes,” he answered bluntly. “I just wish he would come out and admit it. That would be a great thing if he did.”
I asked Calderoni if he was certain that Crist is gay. He told me that Crist socialized with a gay clique of friends but conceded that he’d never actually seen Crist become intimate with another man.
So how can he be sure Crist is gay?
“The way he acted,” Calderoni said.
How did he act?
Calderoni laughed and said, “Very feminine.”
Norman admits this remains circumstantial evidence of Crist’s sexuality.
Send to a friend:
March 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
This is an interesting rumor that Crist has denied repeatedly, and I think these reports are newsworthy.
However, I’m not sure why it was necessary to mention that the bar owner himself is gay, as if it justifies the allegation or gives him some special insight into Crist’s sexuality.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
well, i would love it if florida had a gay republican governor, especially if he’s on the short list mccain’s VP. we could be one heart beat away from a gay president! god bless closeted gay republicans, each and every one.
hmm… maybe getting christ outed is the best way to stop that stupid gay marriage amendment from passing…
March 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I guess I need my gaydar tuned up. Or else its wearing out.
My gaydar just doesn’t go off when I’m around Charlie!
March 11th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Think of it this way - You’re not likely to see the events that have played out in Albany over the last 24 hours happen in Tallahassee over the next 3 years…just think if we’d have elected Tom Gallagher
March 12th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
What if the guy on the other end of the phone, claiming to be the Green Iguana’s owner, was just some doofus bartender having a little fun with the New Times hack? Everybody needs to back up offa Charlie and get used to the following future reference: “Vice President Crist.”