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.