Pa. Republican lawmaker comes out as gay

Philadelphia, PA - Pennsylvania state Rep. Mike Fleck came out Saturday in an article that appeared in the The Daily News of Huntingdon County.

"I wanted to live a normal life and raise a family," Fleck told the paper. "I also believed that by marrying, I was fulfilling God's will and I thought my same-sex attraction would simply go away."

Fleck, a devout Christian and alumni of the conservative Liberty University, was married in 2002. He also worked as a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America in Huntingdon County from 1999 to 2004.

"I'm still the exact same person and I am still a Republican, and, most importantly, I am 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.

The 39-year-old lawmaker is the first openly gay member of the Pennsylvania House.