Pennsylvania State Rep. Mike Fleck has
announced that he is gay, making him the first openly gay lawmaker in
the state.
Fleck, who was first elected to the
House in 2006, called the decision to come out difficult.
“Coming out is hard enough, but doing
it in the public eye is definitely something I never anticipated,”
he told the Huntingdon
Daily News (subscription). I'm still the exact same person
and I'm still a Republican and, most importantly, I'm still a person
of faith trying to live life as a servant of God and the public. The
only difference now is that I will also be doing so as honestly as I
know how.”
Fleck said he married and sought out
treatment from a Christian counselor in hopes of altering his sexual
orientation.
“I wanted to live a 'normal' life and
raise a family,” he said. “I also believed that by marrying, I
was fulfilling God's will and I thought my same-sex attraction would
simply go away.”
The 39-year-old Fleck and his wife
separated about a year ago, according to PoliticsPA.com.
Gay rights activists cheered on
November 6 when Brian Sims of Philadelphia was elected the state's
first openly gay House member. Now it turns out, Sims will have to
settle for second place when he takes his oath in January.