James McGreevey is one of those public figures who confound. On one hand, he was for a brief period the only openly gay governor in US history. On the other hand, he was surrounded by many corrupt cronies who have since been jailed and/or tried, he lived a life of furtive sexual encounters, and he jeopardized New Jersey's security by making his alleged lover at the time – Golan Cipel – an advisor to his state's department of Homeland Security. McGreevey's appearance on Oprah yesterday was billed as a candid interview, but it must also be tempered with the fact that this appearance was basically to promote his memoir and rehabilitate his image.

Oprah is no stranger to gay topics. Earlier this year, AfterElton documented how she has addressed issues of homosexuality on her show. For the most part, America's foremost talk show host has admirably presented issues of importance to the gay community. As early as the 1980's, she used her platform to give gays and lesbians positive visibility, even going so far as to take her show to a homophobic town in West Virginia where she debated townsfolk over their AIDS paranoia and homophobia.

She has also occasionally been criticized, mostly for her handling of the subject of the down-low.

One of the questions raised by McGreevey's appearance was why Oprah chose to feature him and to devote an entire hour to the topic when other gay-related shows, including one about Brokeback Mountain and another about the end of Will & Grace, were limited to half-hour segments.

McGreevey has a new memoir out—True Confession—but it's hard to believe your average American is terribly interested in his sordid saga. Nor, on the surface, would the issue seem to be near to Oprah's heart. The best answer to the question was likely provided by Oprah herself when she discussed how she felt the book was important for anyone gay struggling with life in the closet.

So how did Oprah handle the various issues surrounding Jim McGreevey? His case is complicated by the ethical questions surrounding his administration. Golan Cipel, the alleged lover who brought McGreevey's life crashing down, denies having acted improperly and says the former governor sexually harassed him. (Cipel did not respond to the show's requests for an interview.) And since McGreevey's resignation, several close associates have been investigated and tried for extortion and graft. For the most part, Oprah chose not to address these issues, especially those about his administration.

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