Opinion: Garden State pride. It comes once a decade. Catch it.
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What a two-week punch it’s been for New Jersey. First Wall native Ashley Alexandra Dupré, a.k.a. Kristen, proved to be the only sensible character in the Empire State’s Spitzer farce. Now the ashes of Dina Matos McGreevey’s divorce from former N.J. Gov. James McGreevey have returned to blue, hot life with revelations from an actual graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
By way of both praise for truth-seeking and caution about evaluating claims made by adultery correspondents, please take a look at Andrew Strickler’s piece highlighting the sharp dissonance between Kristen’s unflattering description of the Jersey Shore and the awesome, awesome awesomeness of the actual Jersey Shore. I don’t believe Dupré should feel compelled to deflect or soften or in any way defend her personal reputation, and I wish her hard work and success in whatever path she chooses to take. But just because the bluenoses are ganging up on you is no excuse for dumping on the Garden State.
Theodore Pedersen, the Scarlet Knight now at the center of the toothache-probingly annoying-but-compelling McGreevey saga, emerges as a 29-year-old philosopher. As he tells America’s finest newspaper, the Newark Star-Ledger:
‘[Dina Matos McGreevey]’s trying to make this a payday for herself. She should have told the truth about the three of us.’ Pedersen did not say if he was gay or bisexual and only described having contact with Matos McGreevey during the trysts. He also said he never knew for sure if McGreevey was gay. ‘I had heard the rumors in circles outside of work,’ he said. ‘In hindsight, there might have been light interest (in me), but it didn’t seem like he was gay. It did enhance their sexual relationship having me be a part of it.’
Even casual Savage Love readers will recognize that the tripartite alignment alluded to here does not dispose of the question of any participant’s permanent sexual orientation, if permanent sexual orientation does in fact exist. The Star-Ledger quotes a four-sentence passage from Matos McGreevey’s book which is equally nebulous on the matter:
In her memoir, Matos McGreevey says little about the sex life she had with her husband, except to say that it never gave her any reason to doubt he was straight. ‘The sex was good,’ Matos McGreevey wrote.
It’s worth noting that both Matos McGreevey and Pedersen could both be telling the truth (at least as quoted here; I have not read Silent Partner, so I don’t know if she makes any falsifiable claims about specific romantic activities). In fact, more credit to Matos McGreevey if it is true, for trying to make the most of her mate’s special interests — though others may take a less tolerant view than I do, particularly when full custody of a child is at issue. At Matos McGreevey’s request, Pedersen has given a sealed deposition in the McGreeveys’ divorce case, reports the Star Ledger, which also quotes Pedersen’s useful seduction tips:
‘The more we spend time with each other, the more we begin to trust each other with non-professional things,’ he said. ‘That relationship starts to progress, to transform into subtle hints, flirts.’
Yes, Pedersen is fine! But how will this affect James McGreevey’s efforts to become an Episcopal priest?