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Jun 14, 2008 4:59 pm US/Eastern
Patricks March In Boston's Gay Pride Parade
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Katherine Patrick marched along with her family in Boston's Gay Pride Parade just days after she revealed she's a lesbian.
WBZ
Gov. Deval Patrick and his family marched in this year's annual Gay Pride Parade in Boston to show support for their daughter, who just revealed that she is a lesbian.
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Gov. Patrick's Daughter Reveals She's GayKatherine Patrick, 18, said she didn't tell her parents until after lawmakers voted to kill a proposal to outlaw gay marriage last year.
Patrick became the first governor in the state's history to march in the parade last year. This year, he arrived late after attending a funeral for a Taunton soldier killed in Iraq and joined his family on Beacon Street, near the end of the route.
He hugged and kissed his wife Diane, daughter Sarah, and oldest daughter Katherine, who revealed she's gay in an interview published Thursday in the Bay Windows newspaper.
The Patricks say they're proud of their daughter and support gay marriage.
"I think it's great for parents to support their children," said Gov. Patrick said. "It's not an issue of politics, it's an issue of human rights."
On Saturday, the Patrick family was greeted with boisterous cheers and applause as they marched to the end of the route in City Hall Plaza.
"It's been a nice day," Patrick said after the parade.
The Patricks marched with friends in front of a group from the AIDS Action Committee and behind a float carrying male dancers clad in bikini bottoms.
Thousands lined the parade route, which began in the South End and included all manner of gay pride groups, from car clubs, to softball teams, to union workers. Several spectators expressed their support for Katherine Patrick.
"I think she's represents a generation of us out there, and to see her parents supporting her in such a public way, I think that allows all of our parents the permission to do the same," said Hannah Karpman, 29, of Boston.
Ted Higginson of Berkley said, "I think this is turning the world around. What a breath of fresh air. We need that."
State Rep. Byron Rushing, D-Boston, went out of his way to give Diane Patrick a hug and said he was proud of Katherine Patrick for coming out.
"I don't think that it's a thing that's mandatory, but it's important that she did this for herself and her family," he said.
Starting on Monday, California will become the second state after Massachusetts to allow same-sex marriages.
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