A former Hillary Clinton finance committee member and longtime Democratic activist has become so disheartened by the results of the presidential election that he has decided to forego his political activism and pursue a sailing career.
Lane Hudson, a self-described LGBT activist, has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help pay for his new pursuit of a career in sailing. Hudson notes on his crowd-sourcing page that he has worked for former senator Ernest Hollings (D., S.C.) and former governor Jim Hodges (D., S.C.) as well as having served as a two-time delegate to the Democratic National Committee.
Hudson received some notoriety in progressive circles starting in 2006 when it was revealed that he was the source behind an anonymous blog about Congressman Mark Foley's sexual conversations with congressional pages which eventually led to the congressman's resignation.
"Activism has taken its toll, especially in the most recent election cycle," the GoFundMe page entitled "Lane's Career Change" reads. "I’ve been harassed, physically assaulted, I’ve been blacklisted from social events at the White House because I dared criticize the President, my job has been threatened, friendships have been lost and family relationships have ended."
During the 2016 election cycle, Hudson raised more than $100,000 for Hillary Clinton's campaign which garnered him recognition as a "Hillblazer" on the Clinton campaign website.
The progressive political activist continues in his post to state that his devotion to political activism has prevented him from financial success.
"I’ve rarely made money off of my activism and never really sought to monetize it," Hudson writes. "The reward for me was always the promise of advancing equality and electing people who shared my progressive values."
In his plea for donations for his new found sailing career, Hudson writes, "I’m making a big change in my life and it’s going to require some training that I don’t have the budget for."
The GoFundMe page lists the goal as $2,500 which would help pay for training, certification, and living costs Hudson writes. As of Monday afternoon, the page had raised a total of $1,473 in the 22 days it has been active.
"Being on the ocean and in the sunshine has been a passion of my life that has taken a backseat to activism for too many years," Hudson writes at the end of his fundraising page. Hudson has promised his supporters that he will keep them updated about his sailing adventures through his Instagram and Facebook accounts.