June 12, 2008
PFLAG Praises MA Gov. Deval Patrick for Embracing His Lesbian Daughter (And So Do We)
Governor & Mrs. Patrick “Embody the Perfect Combination of Leadership & Love,” Group Says
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) today applauded a groundbreaking interview, in Bay Windows newspaper, in which Katherine Patrick, daughter of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, talks openly for the first time about being the lesbian daughter of one of America’s most pro-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) leaders.
In an interview with Windows reporter Laura Kiritsy, Governor and Mrs. Patrick discuss their shared pride for their daughter and recount Katherine’s coming out experience at the Governor’s Mansion.
“[T]the first thing my dad did was, [he] wrapped me in a bear hug and said, ‘Well, we love you no matter what,” and the family shared a group hug. “And I’ve been closer to my parents since coming out than any other time, I think,” Katherine says.
“All of us at PFLAG congratulate Governor and Mrs. Patrick as they embrace their daughter and celebrate their family’s love,” said PFLAG national president John R. Cepek, who is the father of a gay son. “The Patricks embody the perfect combination of leadership and love and are role models not only for parents in Massachusetts, but for families across the country. Long before he knew he had a lesbian daughter, Governor Patrick was a leader on LGBT issues. He has set a policy and parental example that every father, and every elected leader, should aspire to follow.”
Massachusetts is one of only two states to officially recognize full marriage equality for same-sex couples. In 2007, the state legislature defeated a measure, following the historic Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling legalizing marriage, to amend the state’s constitution to ban such unions. The effort to defeat the measure was led, in large part, by Governor Patrick.
“[O]f course, he didn’t know I was gay then,” Katherine Patrick says in her interview this morning. “So, for someone so publicly to fight for something that doesn’t even affect him was just like, ‘That’s my dad,’ you know? That’s all I could think. I was very, very proud to be part of this family, and this state in general.”
This Saturday, Governor Patrick will join his daughter to march in the Boston Pride Parade.
“PFLAG extends a heartfelt invitation to the Governor and Katherine to join our local chapter in Saturday’s parade,” Cepek added. “We are proud to have them as part of the growing chorus of families who believe in loving all of our children equally, and just as they are.”
Filed under: Marriage Equality, Massachusetts, Outing & Coming Out, Press Releases
