Courage to do whatever they wanted to do

AP reports:

Hara, who married Studds shortly after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004, said Studds was a pioneer who gave courage to gay people everywhere by winning re-election after publicly acknowledging his homosexuality.

"He gave people of his generation, or my generation, of future generations, the courage to do whatever they wanted to do," said Harra, 49. ...

In 1983, Studds acknowledged his homosexuality after a congressional aide revealed he had had a relationship with Studds a decade earlier, when the aide was 17. Studds was censured for sexual misconduct by the House, ...

Hara said Studds was never ashamed of that relationship.

At least Mark Foley was ashamed about some inappropriate emails. What would people be saying now if Mark Foley had unashamedly stood up and said that he was giving people "the courage to do whatever they wanted to do".