While Kelly McEntee already lives near Harrisburg, she’s looking to elevate her presence in the state’s capital.
The Dauphin County resident is running unopposed in next month’s Democratic primary to represent the 105th District in the House, a seat held by the same Republican incumbent for more than 20 years.
McEntee, 50, is a quality engineer for Honeywell in York, which manufactures industrial-control products.
An engineer for more than two decades, McEntee is a native of Ohio and a graduate of Ohio State University College of Engineering.
After living in California and Maryland, McEntee moved to Gettysburg in 2005 and Lower Paxton Township in 2009.
She came out at age 21, at a time when she had been engaged to a man.
“It was a difficult process to get through,” she said. “I didn’t really have any idea growing up that I was gay, but I just always felt different. So coming out was difficult but I had a lot of accepting family and friends, and I’m very appreciative of that.”
While living in Maryland about 12 years ago, McEntee suffered the trauma of her partner’s suicide.
McEntee currently serves as facilitator for two monthly peer-to-peer support groups for those who have been affected by suicide and is helping to start the South Central Pennsylvania chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
In her facilitator training, she learned of a Chicago-based support group specifically for LGBT individuals.
“Chicago is a large metropolitan area where there are plenty of LGBT people to attend this, but for smaller areas where we’re not as huge of a demographic, it would still be good to have a place like this to go,” she said.
That idea set in motion the creation of an online LGBT support group, which will launch later this year. McEntee, with three others, will serve as co-facilitator.
McEntee said she’s been contemplating a run for office for a number of years and in the past few years has taken on a leadership role in local politics.
She currently serves as the secretary of the Dauphin County Democratic Party and vice chair of the Capital Region Stonewall Democrats.
McEntee said she’s eager to lend her status as an LGBT person, as well as a woman, to the state House.
“For any demographic group, the representation needs to be there,” she said. “The representation of women in our state legislature dropped dramatically in 2010; women make up more than 50 percent of the population of Pennsylvania but we’re very underrepresented in the legislature. It’s very important to start having a voice in the state legislature.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].