The quote from WHYY is long so let’s break it down first and then read the quote to get more detail.

• PA Rep Brian Sims attempts to speak on the House floor during a time where his remarks would be fully appropriate. He is stopped, as are others who try and support him. The GOP Caucus won’t allow the names of those who objected to get listed in the official record.
• Then, Rep Daryl Metcalfe  admits that he was the one who objected and his reasoning is one of fundamentalist extremism.
• Then Sims asks the House to censure Metcalfe, but the House rules don’t allow the censure for what Metcalfe said wasn’t on the House floor itself. He’s a sneaky one. He knows the rules, he knows what he can and can not get away with.

From WHHY:

Openly gay legislator Rep. Brian Sims, D-Philadelphia, has asked the Pennsylvania Legislature to censure Rep. Daryl Metcalfe for comments made to WHYY on Thursday.

Rep. Metcalfe, R-Butler, told WHYY he prevented his colleague from talking about the Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage on the floor of the Pennsylvania House on Thursday because:
“I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God’s law.”

Sims rose again on the House floor Thursday evening to ask the Legislature to reprimand Metcalfe for his comments. He told colleagues he felt that his character had been questioned.
“It is my understanding of the rules of this body that I could never call another member a bigot, a homophobe or a racist, nor would I, but I do ask that this body recognize that the language used against me as a member does not live up to the standards set by this body,” he said.

The House determined that it could not censure Metcalfe for comments made elsewhere.

Metcalfe was one of at least two Republican legislators who raised procedural objections that halted Sims from making his comments to the Legislature, including, according to Sims, Rep. Will Tallman, R-Abbottstown, who did not return a request for comment yesterday.

I wrote originally about this story yesterday here.

Brian Sims is a strong person. He has, in the short time he has been in Harrisburg already done so much for the State, for Fairness, and for the LGBTQ community across the State. He can handle himself, but he needs every person in Pennsylvania to also be working for fairness.

Our work is to elect individuals who will work for everyone in Pennsylvania without bias for favoring one minority position.  Our work is to make our voices heard to our currently elected officials. They need to hear from us- personal letters, phone calls, and meetings. Our work is to be engaged, because it will take all of us to create a better Pennsylvania.