Mark Takano on Orlando, Republicans, and Jane Austen

Mark Takano, the self-proclaimed "gaysian," sat down with the New York Times to discuss his feelings about the Orlando massacre, working alongside with his Republican peers, and Jane Austen.

The Democrat, who is the first openly gay man of color in the House of Representatives, called out his colleagues on the other side of the aisle for ignoring the LGBT community after the Orlando shooting. He said that the House majority wanted "to make what happened in Orlando all about the weakness of President Obama in dealing with global terrorism."

Takano still believes in bipartisanship in the House, despite the challenges.

"Even Louie Gohmert will be very civil and pleasant in the elevator," he joked.

The groundbreaking representative looked with joy over the progress LGBT rights have made in the past year, including marriage equality. But he cautions younger queer people to take relationships slowly.

"I look at so many young gays, and think: You know what? Just because you can doesn't mean you should," he said. "Before you rush into anything, read Jane Austen. A good man is really hard to find, you know?"