![Brian_sims_crx633](https://www.out.com/media-library/brian-sims-crx633.jpg?id=32805964&width=1200&height=710)
Photography by Danielle Levitt
Pennsylvania was the largest U.S. state never to elect an out LGBT legislator, until Sims changed that. A Democratic representative in the state's General Assembly, he says his dream is simple: "Pennsylvania doesn't have a single LGBT civil rights law, and I want to ensure we're protecting all our citizens."
Photographed at Fast Ashley's Studio in Brooklyn, N.Y., on September 5, 2013