Tag: Brian Sims

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Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Sims introduces legislation to ban harmful “gay conversion therapy” for minors

Hot on the heels of California and New Jersey, Pennsylvania may find itself the next state to outlaw so-called “gay conversion therapy.”

Reps. Brian Sims and Gerald Mullery announced today that they plan a bipartisan bill in the House and Senator Anthony Williams has introduced a similar bill in the Senate, the AP reports.

Said Sims at a press conference today:

“Just last month, New Jersey’s Republican governor and Democratic legislature worked together to ban this practice. The governor there cited ‘a litany of potential ill effects of trying to change sexual orientation, including depression and suicide.’ California has also passed a similar law. Pennsylvania children deserve the same protection.

It’s been 40 years since the American Psychological Association excluded homosexuality from being classified as a mental disorder, and the APA has published studies showing that patients younger than 18 suffer from a multitude of harmful effects associated with this so-called therapy, including withdrawal and suicidal thoughts. It’s time to protect Pennsylvania children from this quackery that can inflict years of harm for those who manage to survive it.”

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Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims launches petition to end LGBT discrimination in his state

From Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims’ Facebook page:

Good morning, everyone.

As some of you may be aware, in Pennsylvania, an individual can be fired or refused services simply because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. It’s legal discrimination, and it’s time we stand for equality in the Commonwealth.

That’s why I’ve started a petition.

I understand that this fight isn’t just mine alone. I understand that thousands of Pennsylvanians want equality, and the opportunity to demand it from their legislators.

I’m asking for your help, your passion, and your commitment to the words written in this very state over 200 years ago, that we are all created equal and endowed with the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Please sign this petition, share it on your personal pages, tweet it, email it, and shout it in the streets!

Sign & Share by clicking here.

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Out PA lawmaker Brian Sims talks about his plans for marriage equality in his state

Out (and totally woofy) gay Pennsylvania state Representative Brian Sims, along with fellow Representative Steve Carter, sat down on Sunday to discuss their plans to introduce legislation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that would make same-sex marriage legal in the Keystone State.

Asked about his motivation to act, Rep. Sims stated,

“I was lucky enough to be born into a country that says I won’t be treated any differently under the law based on anyone’s selective interpretation of their own faith. Right now there are upwards of a million LGBT Pennsylvanians that are being treated differently under that law than similarly situated LGBT New Yorkers or Californians and that’s a huge problem. And the moment they cross into Pennsylvania do they lose the thousand or so federal rights just attached to them? And if that’s the case, where are we at right now in our government that people lose rights by crossing a border?”

(via YouTube)

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Pennsylvania: Rep. Brian Sims plans to introduce marriage equality bill in state House

Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims has announced his plan to introduce a same-sex marriage bill.

Rep. Sims, who is openly gay, says his bill will be similar to SB 719 filed in the Pennsylvania Senate by State Senator Daylin Leach last March. The bill will be cosponsored by Democratic Rep. Steve McCarter.

“About two hours ago, I shopped around a co-sponsorship memo for a marriage bill, and I’m going to introduce an LGBT marriage equality bill,” he says, adding the Supreme Court cases “helped light the fire under my colleagues to do it now.”

The co-sponsorship memo, which is sent out to House members for additional support, notes it “would re-define the definition of marriage as a civil contract between two people who enter into matrimony, and eliminate the current prohibition against same-sex marriage in our Commonwealth.

It is important to note that this bill provides protections for religious organizations and entities that do not wish to sanction, perform, or in any way recognize such marriages.”

Same-sex marriage is banned by state statute, but a state constitutional amendment banning marriage equality isn’t on the books in Pennsylvania.

(source)

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Pennsylvania: 100 state lawmakers introduce important legislation protecting LGBT citizens

100 Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced legislation in Harrisburg that would offer wide reaching protections to LGBT citizens in the state.

PGH City Paper reports:

A broad group of state lawmakers today introduced bills HB 300/SB300, which would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression statewide in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations. And they cited a record high level of support for the measures.

“These identical proposals have a common goal — to end, once and for all, the last vestige of legal discrimination in Pennsylvania based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression,” said state Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Squirrel Hill), a co-sponsor of HB300 with Republican state Rep. Chris Ross, and sponsor of the bill in previous years.

Frankel noted that its the first time the bills have had such broad, bipartisan support, with 77 sponsors in the House and 25 in the Senate.

Pennsylvania’s first openly gay elected lawmaker Brian Sims spoke at the introduction. Check out the video statement above.

(source)

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PA: State Rep. Brian Sims on “Hardball”

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Openly gay Pennsylvania state legislator Brian Sims appeared on “Hardball” last night to talk about the incredible momentum the gay rights movement has picked up in recent years.

Sims was smart and on point. At one point, host Chris Matthews said “Maybe you’ll be governor some day.”

p.s. Brian’s not very hard on the eyes, either…. always a nice combination…

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PA: Excellent letter from state Rep. Brian Sims to Sen. Bob Casey

Openly gay state Rep. Brian Sims of Pennsylvania has written an open letter to US Senator Bob Casey regarding the Senator’s silence on the topic of marriage equality, especially in light of so many politicians making public announcements of support:

Senator Casey, seven years ago I joined hundreds of thousands of LGBT Pennsylvanians in support of your candidacy in an effort to remove Senator Rick Santorum, one of the most anti-LGBT legislators in modern history, from public office. We worked tirelessly and we celebrated your victory, even as many of us struggled to reconcile our support for you with our fundamental beliefs in women’s reproductive rights, beliefs which you do not share.

We have believed since you were sworn in that when the time was right, when it really mattered, you would be there for equality. The time is right and we need you to be here.

But your voice is silent. And I am angry.

Senator, I know you. I know how we have interacted and I know that you have respect for me as a gay man. More importantly, I know that LGBT people surround you in virtually every area of your life, personal and professional. You have never had a shortage of interaction with the LGBT community and that is what makes it so confusing that you have not made up your mind on equality. Or have you?

You really need to read the entire letter. It’s honest, bold and direct.

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Pennsylvania’s Brian Sims talks “out athletes” based on his own experience

Openly gay Pennsylvania state legislator Brian Sims recently spoke to ESPN about 49ers Chris Culliver’s pre-Super Bowl homophobic comments.

Brian Sims, the only college football captain to ever come out, said he was happy there was so much backlash against Culliver’s remarks during Super Bowl media day.

“Everyone should be allowed to speak their mind, but in this case, it was wholly ignorant and wholly stupid,” said Sims, who recently was elected as the State Representative for the 182nd District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. “This is not acceptable in the workplace and shouldn’t be acceptable in sports.”

Excerpt from Brian’s interview with ESPN:

What was your first reaction to the Culliver quotes?

“I had two reactions. The first was to laugh. I remember that Charles Barkley had this great line where he said any time someone talks about not wanting a gay teammate hasn’t been looking. There are gay guys in every locker room. That’s the idiocy of what Culliver said. I also thought it wasn’t fair to his teammates to imply that what he was thinking was the norm. That has not been my experience.”

The story goes that you came out to your college football team. Is that true?

The truth is I was gay my whole life. I had dated girls in high school. I think I knew I wasn’t straight long before I knew I was gay. I knew by the time I got to college that I was gay. My team actually came to me to ask me whether I was gay. They wanted to talk about it. They asked me about the struggle and when I was going to tell people. I didn’t go through the same struggles as people today. Today, you have 14-15-16 year olds so confident and secure in their sexuality. I was not. I wasn’t a gay 17-year-old ready to come out to the world. When I got to college, I realized I was gay. I just didn’t know how to go about it. My college didn’t have a LGBT group to give me the language to come out. It was my quarterback who asked me first.”

Do you hope for the day when the topic of sexuality isn’t discussed?

“I do hope there is a time when you don’t have to discuss it but still wants to discuss it. I live in a neighborhood in Philadelphia called ‘Gayborhood.’ It’s next to Chinatown and the Italian area of town. I don’t want to speak on behalf of all Italians but they’ve been discriminated before but they still love their culture, heritage and solidarity. I want us to reach a time when race and sexuality isn’t a negative factor. Sports teams need some bad ass gay men and women’s teams need lesbians to come out. It’s going to be a good thing.”

Read the full interview at ESPN.

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First elected out gay member of Pennsylvania legislature sworn in

Brian Sims made history on Tuesday when he took office as the first person elected to the Pennsylvania legislature as an out LGBT person. He joins Rep. Mike Fleck, who announced after his re-election that he was gay.

From Newsle.com:

Brian Sims, 34, ran unopposed in the November election after ousting longtime Rep. Babette Josephs in the Democratic primary in the Center City district.

“The tide has changed,” said Sims, a civil rights advocate who recently stepped down as board president of Equality Pennsylvania, the statewide lesbian and gay advocacy organization. “2012 will go down in history as when being anti-gay puts you in the minority.”