West Virginia Republican state legislator comes out as gay – NBC News

A young West Virginia state lawmaker came out as gay to his constituents in a video posted to his social media accounts on Sunday.

Josh Higginbotham, 24, who was first elected to West Virginia House of Delegates in 2016, said he had been out privately to some friends and family members before sharing the information publicly this week.

In the two-minute video, Higginbotham said he originally worried his family would disown him for his sexuality, but that they instead supported him.

“We made a decision as a family to be more open about it and make it public, because there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said. “I’m not ashamed of it, I’m not embarrassed by it, part of who I am. And I wanted to share this part about me with you.”

Higginbotham went on to say that he remains a conservative Christian Republican and asked his constituents for their support.

“Nothing has changed other than now you know this about my personal life, whereas you didn’t know beforehand,” Higginbotham said. “I’m still the same guy you’ve voted for… and I’ll continue to serve the Kanawha Valley.”

At the time of his first election into the House of Delegates, Higginbotham became the youngest member of the West Virginia Legislature at the age of 19. He is now in his third term and serves as vice-chairman on the chamber’s education committee.

Higginbotham was the only Republican delegate to vote against a bill that forces transgender student athletes to play on teams according to the sex they are assigned at birth as opposed to their gender identity. The bill passed both chambers and was approved by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice in April, according to the legislature’s website.