Nevada State Senator Comes Out During Floor Debate Over Gay Marriage

This takes some courage:

A Nevada state senator on Monday publicly announced for the first time that he’s gay — in the middle of a debate over same-sex marriage.

Sen. Kelvin Atkinson (D-North Las Vegas) made his announcement on the state Senate floor, during his speech in support of repealing Nevada’s gay marriage ban. According to The Las Vegas Sun, Atkinson first described how his father’s interracial marriage would once have been banned.

“I’m 44 years old. I have a daughter. I’m black. I’m gay,” Atkinson said in an emotional declaration. “I know some of you [this is] the first time hearing me say that, that I am a black, gay male.”

Apparently the state Senate has passed a resolution, on a 12-9 vote, to begin the process of repealing Nevada’s ban on gay marriage.