Massachusetts Governor’s Daughter Comes Out

In a move to remind all the same-sex couples flocking west to marry that Massachusetts is the original Gay State, Katherine Patrick, daughter of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, has just come out as a lesbian.

I jest about the motivation, but the fact of the matter is true. In an interview with Bay Window’s Laura Kiritsy, Katherine and her parents said they wanted to avoid ” a ‘gotcha’ news story about Katherine’s sexual orientation that might give the false impression that the family was anything less than accepting and supportive of Katherine.”

Supportive they were. Even before Katherine came out, her father celebrated the final defeat of attempts to ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. When she came out to him a few weeks later, he hugged her and said, “Well, we love you no matter what.”

Gov. Patrick chides himself for not realizing his daughter’s orientation sooner. “I think when Katherine started to memorize all the episodes of The L Word, there was some hint that maybe she was sending us.” Katherine, however, is reluctant to watch the show with her dad, despite his offer. “I love you, but there’s certain things, there’s certain lines [you don’t cross].” The Governor also bemoans the fact that his daughter’s potential wedding (she is single at the moment) may cost him a fortune. It’s a wonderful article, and worth reading in full.

The Patricks join the Gingrichs, the Gephardts, and of course the Cheneys as high-profile political families with lesbian daughters.

Gov. Patrick, furthermore, is a good friend of Barack Obama. The Boston Globe reported this spring on “a symbiotic friendship between Obama and Patrick that continues to shape their political careers, according to admirers, observers, and associates of the two men.” Obama has just appointed David Noble, director of public policy and government affairs at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and former executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, as director of the LGBT vote for his campaign. Other LGBT appointments: Brian Bond, the gay outreach director for the Democratic National Committee, as director of constituencies for the campaign; Melissa Etheridge as a co-chair of the 50-state voter registration campaign; Joan Garry, former executive director of GLAAD, and Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN, as co-chairs of Obama’s LGBT finance operations. Etheridge and Garry are both lesbian moms, too, which of course pleases me.

Whether Sen. Obama knew before today that his friend’s daughter is a lesbian is an open question; I have to think it can only strengthen his convictions to support our community. (And no, he’s not perfect; he could be stronger about support for marriage equality, for example; but he’s the best nominee we’ve ever had.)

I see LGBT families often dividing ourselves into distinct groups: LGBT parents, parents of LGBT children, children of LGBT parents. The commonality of the family bond, however, should transcend these divisions, which overlap more than might appear at first glance. I’m happy to welcome the Patricks into our world.