Gregg Kravitz

Sexual politics can be a down and dirty business. Ask Gregg Kravitz, candidate for Pennsylvania's 182^nd State House District, who has become a victim of accusations by his opponent, incumbent and career politician, Babette Josephs, who claims to have "outed" him as "straight person" not as a "bisexual man" who "swings both ways" in order for Kravitz to court the gay vote in Philadelphia.

Beyond her attacks on his "sexual identity," Josephs told a crowd of her supporters at a campaign fundraiser in a public venue two weeks ago that Kravitz was a "trust fund baby" and didn't have a work history despite the fact that the 29-year-old opponent has worked as a trader, political consultant and real estate agent.

That's when all hell broke lose as The Philadelphia Inquirer published a front page story on the mud-slinging and the media blitz began.

The Kravitz campaign was admittedly overwhelmed by the national press pursuing him for what can only be described as a kind of reverse prejudice about an openly "bisexual" candidate with a girlfriend, purportedly "pretending to be gay."

Suddenly, reporters from The Huffington Post to The Advocate, from The Chicago Sun Times to The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), wanted to talk to Kravitz.

The media frenzy heralded Kravitz into the national spotlight. His 15-minutes of fame as a celebrity was realized. But the candidate isn't particularly happy.

Babette Josephs

"There is a great deal more to me than my sexuality as a person and a candidate. My sexuality is not one of my qualifications for running for office," Kravitz tells me as we sit in his very spartan campaign office located above JR's Bar in the heart of the city's "gayborhood."

But he's the first to admit that being bisexual is "more challenging in both the straight and LGBT communities but 'I'm proud of what and who I am'."

Kravitz wants to be taken seriously as a viable candidate with issues, ideas and solutions to problems, from LGBT equality rights to the environment. The campaign shift to his own "sexual identity" has clearly sensationalized his story and clouded his message.

"What I've always liked about politics is the ability to create change on a large scale that affects people's lives. Politics is an umbrella for a lot of things in society. And good policy creates good systems that leads to positive change," he waxes philosophically.

Despite his youth (Kravitz will become 30 years old on May 13), he's smart, articulate, focused, on-point about issues and needs of his district and seems sincere about making a career for himself in public service.

Eager to share with me an example of a campaign issue, he quickly walks me through some points about the environment, calling for "green jobs," mandates for all new construction or significant renovation to meet government standards, pursuing federal stimulus money, reducing the carbon footprint, and the justifying the upfront costs for such initiatives being offset by the long term savings of energy use. The way he's talking, he strikingly already sounds like an elected official. He's got us all covered.

"Now more than ever we need new leadership in Harrisburg. There's grid lock. Our district needs more resources. It's an important district in Philadelphia rich in arts and culture, education, business and commerce, historic places, gayborhood, and even City Hall. I want to leverage all of that for my constituency," he says with a serious look and air.

It's been difficult to dispel the lies, the rumors, and the skeptics who aren't quite sure about the "bisexual" Kravitz. But he's convincing when he speaks, isn't defensive, and always returns to the topics that he considers the most important to his campaign and candidacy.

Indeed, if he's isn't who he says he is, than Kravitz is a master con man, a pathological liar, an Oscar-winning actor or a fool who'll have zero political future.

But I'd say that he's none of these and am impressed with his sincerity, knowledge and intention. And he's serious about winning the primary.

What's been the entire upshot over the controversy about his sexual identity?  "People are now more attentive about the race and the issues," he says confidently.