Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, the first
openly gay man to be elected to Congress, included a mention of his
partner and their son in his speech at the Democratic National
Convention on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old Polis opened by telling
delegates that he's a gay American: “My name is Jared Polis. My
great-grandparents were immigrants. I am Jewish. I am gay. I am a
father. I am a son. I am an entrepreneur. I am a congressman from
Colorado. I am always an optimist. But first and foremost, I am an
American.”
“Diversity is America's strength, and
only by working together, as one nation, can we form a more perfect
union.”
Polis' mention of his domestic partner,
writer Marlon Reis, and their son, Caspian Julius, was couched in
references to Christian families and single mothers.
“So tonight, I don't just ask my
fellow Americans to respect my relationship with my partner Marlon
and my role as a father to our son. I ask them to respect the
Christian family concerned about decaying moral values and crass
commercialism. I ask them to respect the difficult decision of a
single mother to bring a child into this world, because of her
heartfelt beliefs.”
For the record, Massachusetts
Representative Barney Frank came out gay while serving in Congress,
while Polis was out before he sought his seat.