Brian Sims Is Running for Congress

Brian Sims, the first openly gay politician elected to the Pennsylvania State legislature, has announced that he's running for Congress in the state's 2nd District against 11-term Democratic incumbent Chaka Fattah. He's joining two other competitors running in the spring 2016 primary.

"They need a champion, someone who will stand up for justice, for equality, for women, to the NRA," Sims told the Philadelphia Daily News. A civil-rights lawyer, the 37-year-old was elected in 2012 by defeating 28-year incumbent state Rep. Babette Josephs in the Democratic primary.

In a YouTube video that shows the political heartthrob in his college football uniform, makes references to Kim Davis and marriage equality, and also mentions America's "quest for justice," he also states:

"We face blatant racism on the presidential stage, hatred spun as faith, discrimination in the workplace, and bloodshed in our streets. I haven't walked in everyone's shoes, but I've logged enough miles in my own to know I'll never back down."

Sims has seen his stature on the national political stage grow with the marriage equality movement. When he was elected, he vowed to pass laws to protect LGBT civil rights in his state. He's planning to hold a fundraiser tonight at the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia today, and he says he believes he can round up enough party support to be a strong challenge in the primary.

Watch his campaign announcement video below: