The pool of candidates seeking to bring an LGBT voice to the Pennsylvania state legislature grew this month as a Central Pennsylvania political leader threw his hat in the ring.
Christopher Dietz, 36, is running for the 104th district seat in the state House of Representatives in Dauphin County.
Dietz graduated from Penn State in 1998 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He bought a home in the district in 2003, prompting him to get involved in local politics.
“It’s been an organic process for me,” Dietz said. “I got involved in community activity when I moved to Millersburg because I had a stake in the community, so I wanted to take an active role. And it’s been one step after another.”
Dietz began attending Millersburg borough council meetings and, in 2006, was appointed to fill a vacancy. He has since been approved twice by Millersburg voters, and his fellow council members elected him as vice president of council and then president, a position he has held for the past two years.
Dietz worked as a product engineer for about a decade until he was laid off in 2009, prompting him to examine his future career path and consider working for change at the state level.
“For people who have been through that process, it really changes your perspective on things,” he said. “Finding another mechanical-engineering job in Central Pennsylvania wasn’t an easy endeavor and the idea of creating jobs in your local community became an issue for me. Millersburg is a commuting community — a lot of residents drive to Harrisburg every day, but that’s a 40-minute drive — and it’s important that we have jobs that are of livable wage within our own local communities. The less we’re commuting, the more time we have to spend in our own communities, which can help local businesses.”
A product of the public-school system, Dietz said he would also work for public-education reform, which he asserted needs to come from within the system, as well as government reform to encourage more citizens to become involved in the electoral process.
LGBT civil rights would also be a priority, he said.
Pennsylvania has never had an openly gay state lawmaker, and Dietz said he would use that title to effect progress for the community — including pressing for a statewide LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance, antibullying efforts and marriage equality, especially considering he’s engaged to his partner, Alex.
“The LGBT community may be a small percentage of the population, but we still need a seat at the table in state government, which we don’t have now,” he said. “Being there and being in the room when these issues are being discussed can really make a difference.”
The largely conservative environment in Central Pennsylvania was one of the factors that kept Dietz from coming out until he was 30, but he said he was well-received by his local community.
“It was a lot of the religious upbringing and that type of thinking,” he said. “But once I came out, it really hasn’t been an issue, which surprised me but delighted me at the same time. I think it made a difference that people knew me and the work I was doing in Millersburg before I came out. But it really hasn’t been an issue.”
While Dietz has been successful as an openly gay politico, he has also done so as a member of the minority party.
Dietz is the only Democrat on Millersburg council, but he said the rapport he established with fellow lawmakers trumped party politics and enabled him to be elected by council as president — a lesson he would like to bring to the state House.
“Partisanship is at such a high level that so many good ideas get gummed up by the politics,” he said. “I have a very good working relationship with people from all backgrounds and all parties and I’m able to assimilate different ideas to come out with the best possible solution to problems. I’m someone who looks at all aspects of an issue before making a decision.”
Dietz will challenge Sue Helm, the incumbent Republican who was first elected to the 104th District in 2006.
In the coming months, Dietz will work to get his name out, phonebanking and canvassing the district, tasks for which he could use support from the LGBT community in both time and fundraising.
“I’m really happy and excited to be running and hopefully we can create some positive change in the legislature,” he said.
For more information on Dietz, visit www.votedietz.com.