Virginia Delegate Mark Sickles on
Friday came out gay, making him the second openly gay member of the
state legislature.
“I am a proud gay man,” Sickles
wrote in a The
Washington Post op-ed lauding a federal judge's recent ruling
striking down Virginia's ban on gay marriage.
“When I was 21 years old, I realized
and accepted that I was different from most of my friends,” Sickles
said. “In my teens, I did not get excited about the prom or asking
my girlfriend out for a date. Although many of my closest friends
have been women, I felt a deeper connection with men. This
acceptance of my sexual orientation, or 'coming out' to myself, was
such an incredible relief. I have always lived openly with my
neighbors, friends and family, lived a full life and never regretted
the way I was born. But the current moment in Virginia has convinced
me that it could be helpful to share this aspect of my life with all
my constituents.”
Sickles is vying for the Democratic
nomination to run for the congressional seat of Rep. Jim Moran, who
is retiring.
Among his rivals for the nomination is
Senator Adam Ebbin, the state legislature's other openly gay
lawmaker.