Running a company that is responsible for a deadly refinery blast and a major oil spill is not enough to get the CEO to resign in disgrace.

Being gay however, that’s enough.

The AP is reporting today that the chief executive of BP, the British oil giant, is resigning because a newspaper is planning on publishing the details of his private life, which include the fact that he had a long term relationship with a man.

The chief executive John Browne said in a statement: “For the past 41 years of my career at BP I have kept my private life separate from my business life. I have always regarded my sexuality as a personal matter, to be kept private. It is a matter of personal disappointment that a newspaper group has now decided that allegations about my personal life should be made public.”

Now to be fair, the guy had announced he was going to leave BP this summer, but this recent news, he maintains, was just too much for him to take so he’s leaving immediately. (Update: Turns out there was probably pressure from the BP board for him to split because he lied about the affair in court.)
Is it just me, who the heck cares about his personal life? During his tenure 15 people died at the BP refinery in Texas City in 2005 because of negligence and the environment was given yet another blow because of the BP oil spill in Alaska last year. But it’s not these events that expedite his departure.

Go figure.