Brian Sims, the first openly gay state legislator in Pennsylvania, will speak at the Paterno Library’s Foster Auditorium on March 24 at 5 p.m, according to a release. Sims currently represents the state’s 182nd district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Though he was born in Washington D.C, Sims moved to Pennsylvania in the 1990s with his family. He earned a degree in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University, where we was co-captain of the school’s football team. While he was at Bloomsburg, Sims came out, making him the first openly gay football captain in NCAA history.

Sims went on the receive his J.D. in International and Comparative Law from Michigan State. Before his time in office, Sims served as a staff counsel for policy and planning at the Philadelphia Bar Association, and became president of the board of Equality Pennsylvania.

Sims was elected in 2012, after he unseated his district’s 28-year incumbent. During his time in office, Sims has co-introduced legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania with State Representative Steve McCarter. Sims’ LBGTQA efforts span past the state legislature. In 2013, Sims penned an open letter to U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr., asking for his public support of same sex marriage. The letter was successful, as Casey announced his support in a newspaper interview three days later. Sims also wrote a letter to the Republican Senator Pat Toomey, who then voted in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

At Penn State, Sims will be speaking about his political career, activism, and non-discrimination legislation. The event is presented by the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Equity.