Brian Sims Biography

Brian Sims (Brian K. Sims) is an American Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 182nd district elected in 2012. He is also a lawyer and activist on LGBT civil rights.

He is the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania history. Sims won reelection on November 6, 2018.

Brian Sims Age

Brian Sims was born on September 16, 1978 in Washington, D.C., United States. He is 44 years old as of 2022.

Brian Sims Height

Sims stands at a height of about 5 feet 11 inches tall.

Brian Sims Family

Sims is the son of two Army Lieutenant Colonels of Irish descent. He was raised in the Roman Catholic Church but stopped attending church at the age of 16. He lived in seventeen states before settling in Pennsylvania in the early 1990s.

Brian Sims Gay | Brian Sims Partner

Sims is openly gay. He is in a relationship with his partner, Brandon McMullinc whom he featured in his campaign materials in 2016.

Brian Sims Net Worth

His net worth is estimated to be around $1 million to $5 million.

Brian Sims Salary

Sims salary is estimated to be around $10000 to $50000 annually.

Brian Sims Education

Sims completed his undergraduate studies at Bloomsburg University, in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in 2001. In 2000, he was the co-captain of the Bloomsburg University football team, and was recognized as a scholar athlete.

During the 2000 season, the longest season in the Division II school’s history, he came out as gay to his teammates. In doing so, the regional All-American and team captain became the only openly gay college football captain in NCAA history.

Sims earned a J.D. Degree in International and Comparative law at the Michigan State University School of Law in 2004.

Brian Sims Career

Before assuming public office, Brian Sims served as staff counsel for policy and planning at the Philadelphia Bar Association. During his time at the Bar Association, he worked with attorneys, legislators and community organizations on issues ranging from gender and pay inequity to environmental regulation.

Activism

Brian Sims served as the President of Equality Pennsylvania, and as the Chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia (GALLOP), until 2011 when he stepped down from both positions.

In 2009, he joined the faculty of the Center for Progressive Leadership and the National Campaign Board of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Additionally, Sims was selected as one of the Top 40 LGBT Attorneys Under 40 in the United States by the National LGBT Bar Association in 2010.

Brian Sims Election

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

In 2011, Brian Sims announced his intentions to run for representative of the 182nd Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He defeated Babette Josephs, a 28-year incumbent, in the 2012 Democratic primary. Sims did not face a Republican challenger in the November general election and was elected.

He was the first openly gay person elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Although Sims was not sworn in until January 1, 2013, because Pennsylvania state representatives’ term of service and legislative duties officially begin on the first day of December following their election, he shares the designation of being its first openly gay member with Rep. Mike Fleck (R–Huntingdon), who came out in a newspaper article published later that day.

In June 2013, after the Defense of Marriage Act had been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, he tried to make a speech in the Pennsylvania House supporting the decision.

Daryl Metcalfe, who was one of several representatives who blocked him from speaking, said ”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.”.

On October 3, 2013, Sims made national news when he and fellow Democratic Rep. Steve McCarter introduced legislation to legalize Same-Sex Marriage in Pennsylvania. He has also introduced a bill with fellow Democratic State Representative Erin Molchany to help reduce and eliminate the gender gap in rate of pay as well as legislation to ban the practice of Conversion therapy with Rep. Gerald Mullery.

Brian Sims has also made efforts to work with federal legislators on issues of LGBT civil rights. On March 28, 2013, he penned an open letter to U.S. Senator and fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey Jr. urging him to come out publicly in support of same-sex marriage. This, combined with many other calls, ultimately resulted in the senator voicing his support for the measure.

On November 11, 2013, he teamed with Republican State Representative Bryan Cutler to introduce a bill to replace Pennsylvania’s system of electing judges with a merit-based system, which did not receive debate in the PA House.

Sims currently serves of the House Commerce, Human Services, Game and Fish, State Government, and Tourism and Recreation Committees. He serves as Democratic Chair of the Human Services Subcommittee on Mental Health.

After The New York Times tweeted a cartoon portraying Trump and Putin as a gay couple, Brian Sims said it’s time to stop the homophobic jokes.

Congressional run

In the 2016 elections, Sims was briefly a candidate for Pennsylvania’s 2nd congressional district, but opted to run for re-election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives instead. He was challenged by Marni Snyder, Lou Lanni, and Ben Waxman in the Democratic primary, defeating all three. Brian did not face a Republican challenger in the November 2016 general election.

Brian Sims Doxing incidents

In May 2019, Sims made national news for uploading a video to Twitter showing him following and berating an elderly woman who was praying outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia, and encouraging his followers to dox her and protest outside her house. When the woman began praying the rosary, Brian Sims directed anti-Catholic statements at her.

He then posted a similar video from a different occasion, in which he called on his followers to dox three teenage girls protesting outside the clinic, offering a $100 reward to anyone who could identify them.

Following these incidents, it was reported that Sims had filmed another video targeting pro-life protesters at the same clinic two years earlier.

He said that pro-life activists and Christians are bullies, after he faced criticism for a video he livestreamed

“Bring it, Bible Bullies! You are bigots, sexists, and misogynists and I see right through your fake morals and your broken values,” Sims tweeted May 5, after the pro-life group Live Action criticized a video Sims livestreamed May 2.

Law enforcement officials have not yet said whether Sims will face charges for his engagement with the woman.

Brian Sims Dog

Sims had a big beautiful fluffy dog called Hannegan. She was named after a bar in Los Gatos, CA where Sims used to work.