Cool parents
Take a moment to read this interview with Gov. Deval Patrick and his younger daughter, Katherine, about her decision to come out as a gay woman.
I am struck by the intelligence and poise the teenager demonstrates, although given the abundance of those attributes in her mom and dad, it isn't surprising. I am also struck - but not surprised - by the obvious love and affection within this family. (Memo to Patrick haters: you may abhor his work, and that is fair game, but try not to forget that behind the title is a person, and, based on my observations, a damn decent one, too.) It is understandable but unfortunate that Patrick was concerned about his daughter being outed in some derogatory "gotcha" fashion; there remain far too many people (including the creeps who persuaded John Kerry to cite the sexuality of Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter during the 2004 campaign) who still can't quite grasp the concept of dignity and equality for gay people. And my favorite quote in the Bay Windows interview comes from the governor: "We've had so many people in our lives whom we love who are gay and lesbian, so that's not unfamiliar to us.... Because we live in Massachusetts - I can still imagine what Katherine's wedding is going to be like. How much it's gonna cost."
Spoken like a true, bill-paying dad. (Don't worry, guv, there will be another father of the bride in the mix, so that should help ease the sting!) Anyway, there's one cost I'm confident the Patricks will not have to bear -- any measurable hostility or derision from Massachusetts residents who have repeatedly shown over the past 25 years that they don't really care about your sexual orientation, as long as you're a good person who checks with your co-workers to see if they want anything before you make a DD run.
