Katherine, made a brave and honorable choice when she publicly came
out and offered an interview to Bay Windows. She recognized that,
“as private of an issue as it is, we’ve sort of had to come to
terms with the fact that we are a public family and there you give
a part of yourself away,” the 18-year-old said. “And we also…
wanted people to know that it’s not only something that we
accept, but it’s something that we’re very proud of. It’s a
great aspect of our lives and there’s nothing about it that is
shameful or that we would want to hide.”
Katherine cited
her father’s activism and advocacy for gay rights over the
years as part of why she felt so comfortable coming out to her
parents and to others. Describing how she felt watching him on the
stairs of the state house after the anti-gay marriage amendment was
defeated on June 14, 2007, she recalls being extremely proud:
“Because, of course, he didn’t know that I was gay then. 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.”
The Patricks are an excellent model of a loving family, each member
of which deserves legal rights and social acceptance. The Governor
expressed his wholehearted support for his daughter while also
stressing the fact his daughter being gay just isn’t that big a
deal. “First of all,” he told Bay Windows, “We’ve had so
many people in our lives whom we love who are gay or lesbian, so
that’s not that unfamiliar to us. You know, I can still – because
we live in Massachusetts – I can still imagine what Katherine’s
wedding is going to be like.” Thanks to leaders like himself, his
statement is far from absurd.
Congratulations and thank you to Katherine, her father, and their
entire family, for bringing their private life into public scrutiny
to show the state and the country one of the many faces of a
supportive and loving family.