Missouri GOP State Rep Zach Wyatt comes out and speaks against "Don't Say Gay" bill

Republican Missouri State Rep. Zach Wyatt came out of the closet today in a speech to Republican colleagues, asking them to withdraw their support like anti-gay issues like the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which has been advancing through the legislature.

By coming out, Wyatt becomes the only openly gay Republican state lawmaker in the country, according to PROMO, Missouri’s statewide advocacy organization for LGBT equality.

Said Wyatt:

"I will not lie to myself anymore about my own sexuality. It has probably been the hardest thing to come to terms with. I have always ignored it, didn't event think about it, or want to talk about it. I have not been immune to it. I hear the comments, usually snide ones, about me. I'm not the first or last Republican to come out. I've just gotten tired of the bigotry being shown from both sides of the aisle on gay issues."

If passed, the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” would ban public school-sponsored instruction, material, or extracurricular activities that discuss sexual orientation except when concerning human reproduction.