“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

These words, immortalized by civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech have been oft quoted in the recent months, as our nation’s first African-American president, President Barack Obama, was elected.

We at the Gay & Lesbian Times believe individuals should indeed be judged on the content of their character, and not their ethnicity, race, gender, age, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.

For this reason, we join the chorus of individuals, organizations, and publications calling for Portland Mayor Sam Adams to resign.

Adams, the first openly-gay mayor of a major U.S. city, recently recanted his denial of sexual relations in 2005 with a male staffer, Beau Breedlove. Adams denied the claims in 2007 when he was running for office. Adams, however, has characterized the relationship as “an error in judgment” that represents “an anomaly, not a trend.”

This is hardly a new argument.

In a post-Monica world, Americans have seemed to overlook public officials’ private dalliances. This publication called for then-President Bill Clinton’s resignation when he recanted his denial of sexual relations with a White House intern. We also joined in the growing call for New Jersey Governor James McGreevey’s resignation after his extramarital affair with an Israeli man, whom he had appointed an advisor to homeland security. McGreevey, the nation’s only openly-gay governor, initially denied the claims.

In each of these cases, the “content of the character” of the public servant was proved to be unworthy of the office to which the people had elected him. In each of these cases, it was not about whether the individual was having consensual sex, it was about a clear violation of the public’s trust. It was about rejecting the acceptance of lies for political expediency.

As a community, we may struggle with whether to pressure for Adams’ resignation, if for no other reason than the mayoral glass ceiling he shattered by being out and elected. After all, young GLBT youth need role models. While Hollywood and athletic fields remain deeply closeted, the recent increase in openly-gay public officials gives our young people hope – hope that demands accountability.

Many have asked, “Because she is a woman, does she have to be twice as good at her job?”

Many have asked, “Because he is black, does he have to be twice as good at his job?”

Some may ask, “Because he is gay, does he have to be twice as good at his job?”

The answers are, of course, “No,” “No,” and “No.”

However, we believe public figures, specifically those who seek to be public figures, have a moral obligation to the communities from which they come and which they take pride in representing. This obligation is simple: If you seek to be a role model, act like one. Be transparent and honest. And, most of all, demand integrity of yourself out of respect for those who look to you as an example.

Through the years, we have taken issue with openly gay San Diego officials, such as former-City Councilmember and now-State Senator Christine Kehoe and former-City Councilmember and Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins. But these differences were public policy differences. They were differences of what we believed to be right or wrong with respect to their voting records.

At no time did we, or the GLBT community for that matter, ever question Kehoe and Atkins were prepared to be role models, not simply based on their sexual orientation, but based on their character. We have never been led to doubt their integrity, to wonder what they would lie about in order to gain political capital. Nor do we expect to have to question the character of newly-elected openly gay City Councilmen Todd Gloria and Carl DeMaio.

However, when a public servant lies during an election out of fear the truth will jeopardize his or her chances at gaining political office, as Adams has done, then that bond of trust is broken with the citizens. We should not over-look it out of deference to someone who is gay or lesbian. In fact, we should do just the opposite, and hold members of our community accountable because they are gay or lesbian. Our community deserves role models of integrity.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

While we bask in the rights and equality that this dream has, we must also be cognizant of the responsibility that it demands.

In the end, we must ask ourselves, “Because he is an elected official, does he have to be twice as good?”

The answer is, of course, “Yes.”