Gay Trustee’s Exchange of Vows Upsets Backers : Redondo Beach: Some say Zeke Zeidler was not open about his sexual orientation during the campaign. He says he never tried to hide it.

Zeke Zeidler, who was elected to the Redondo Beach school board in March, has stirred up a firestorm among some of his backers by exchanging vows with his gay lover.

Zeidler and Jay Kohorn entered into a non-legal contract on April 30 in a format similar to a wedding, with friends and family looking on, Zeidler said. They have lived together for several years.

Zeidler and Kohorn vowed a lifelong commitment to each other in the ceremony performed in a synagogue.

Some members of the South Bay Young Republicans, one of two political groups that endorsed Zeidler, 31, in the nonpartisan election, are upset because they believe he deceived them.

“Zeke was not an openly gay candidate for the school board,” said Tom Shortridge, a Redondo Beach political consultant and former chairman of the Young Republicans. “While he may now be openly gay, he was not during his campaign.”

Shortridge said Zeidler was dishonest about more than just his sexual orientation.

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The Young Republicans endorsed Zeidler based on his campaign promises and proposed changes to the district as well as the experience he could bring to the board as a practicing lawyer. But when the group found out he was registered as a Democrat, they decided to withdraw the endorsement.

The misunderstanding occurred, Zeidler said, because he was told the group could endorse him, regardless of his party choice, since it was a nonpartisan election. He also said he never hid his sexual orientation but, because it has no bearing on his role as a board member, he didn’t focus on it during the campaign. Everyone who knows him is aware that he is gay, he said.

Zeidler ran for the position simply to help the children in the district, he said. He believes his experience as a children’s court attorney will be beneficial to the board.

“In my work, I represent many children who end up getting lost in the educational system,” Zeidler said.

Others believe he should have let voters know about his sexual orientation.

“There are some people out there who are pretty upset about the fact that he just chose after the election to make his big statement,” said Bart Swanson, a former school board member. “A lot of people are upset it was never brought up in the campaign.”

Swanson said he believes Zeidler would not have been elected if voters had known he was gay.

“I feel like Zeke really just duped those people,” Swanson said.

Zeidler said he has always been open about being gay. During his campaign he held a meeting for more than 2,000 community members at which he publicly introduced Kohorn as his “life partner.”

“I don’t think it’s anything that anyone can accuse me of hiding,” Zeidler said. “The only way it might be relevant is that I’ve been involved in many gay and lesbian groups which add to my leadership skills.”

Zeidler believes that, if the topic had been discussed, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the race. He cites numerous occasions in his door-to-door campaigning when the topic came up, and people said they were planning to vote for him.

Zeidler’s fellow school board members say what is important is the contribution he makes to the community.

School board President Jeanette Boston said there is a an undercurrent of rumors and mixed feelings about Zeidler’s sexual orientation, but because no one has ever publicly addressed the board about the issue, she believes it is unimportant.

“All of our candidates who were running for the board were out there, and people could have asked any questions they had on their minds,” she said. “He’s doing a wonderful job, and he’s very involved and very concerned with children’s issues.”

Zeidler is one of about 10 gay and lesbian school board members nationwide who will meet with senior officials from the Clinton Administration on June 13 to discuss public schools. Zeidler said he will focus on how the federal budget affects all schoolchildren.