Pennsylvania state Rep. Mike Fleck (R-Huntingdon) came out Saturday, becoming the first openly gay lawmaker in the Keystone State.

“I'm still the exact same person and I’m still a Republican and, most importantly, I’m still a person of faith trying to live life as a servant of God and the public. The only difference now is that I will also be doing so as honestly as I know how," Fleck said,according to Politics PA. The Huntingdon Daily News, a subscription-based news service, first reported the story.

Fleck, who was married to a woman for almost a decade, said his Christian faith kept him from coming out for years.

“I wanted to live a ‘normal’ life and raise a family,” Fleck said. “I also believed that by marrying, I was fulfilling God’s will and I thought my same-sex attraction would simply go away."

Fleck was also actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America -- an anti-gay organization -- as an Eagle Scout and then as a district executive for the group.