Aaron Schock, a four-term Illinois congressman, was once a GOP wunderkind. He was the first member of the US Congress born in the 1980s but had the values of someone born in the 1890s, consistently voting against LGBTQ+ rights. On Thursday, however, the 38-year-old came out as gay in a 2,000 word post. Schock’s sexuality, as he himself notes, isn’t a huge surprise to many. Rumours followed him throughout his political career – which came to an ignominious end in 2015 when he resigned amid allegations that he’d misappropriated taxpayer funds. (He was later indicted but charges were dropped last year). Schock was widely known as the Downton Abbey Guy because of his lavish Capitol Hill office which was renovated in the style of a dining room from the British period drama.