Gov. Deval Patrick: A True Hero
By Keith Boykin, in politics
Friday, June 15 2007, 4:21AM
The next time someone says that black people are all homophobic, I'm going to point them to Deval Patrick. Deval Patrick is the governor of Massachusetts and the first African-American to hold that position in the state's history. I've known him for more than a dozen years and he's always been a strong friend to the LGBT community. Back when Congress was debating the Employment Non Discrimination Act in the first term of the Clinton Administration, Patrick was a key champion of the bill as President Clinton's Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
Yesterday as Governor, Deval Patrick came through again. Thanks to intense lobbying efforts by Patrick and others, Massachusetts lawmakers defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would have let voters decide whether to ban gay marriage in the only state that allows it. I hadn't spoken to Deval Patrick in at least a year, but after receiving an email from the National Black Justice Coalition on Wednesday, I called and left a message for him. He called back yesterday morning.
It was 10 minutes before noon and I was hurriedly packing my bags to catch the 12 o'clock ferry from Fire Island to Sayville. The call came on my cell. "Keith Boykin?" Yes, I replied. "This is Governor Deval Patrick's office. Please hold for the Governor."
That was different. I had never spoken to him since he became the governor of the state. I had only known him as a government official and later as a corporate lawyer. I was used to addressing him by his first name. But yesterday, for the first time, I got to call him by his new title. "Hello Governor," I said.
I won't recount the entire conversation, but Governor Patrick told me I had called on an "auspicious" occasion and said the upcoming vote margin was "razor-thin." Yet he seemed optimistic and hopeful for a positive result. Later in the day, it came.
The gay marriage ban needed just 50 votes to get on the 2008 statewide ballot, but It only got 45, while 151 legislators voted against it. Massachusetts law required the proposal to get 50 votes in two consecutive legislative sessions to make it to the ballot, and the measure had already passed in the last session with 62 votes. But this time there was a different governor and the result was different.
Supporters of the ban had hoped to reverse the 2003 court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. That would have turned back the clock for more than 8,500 gay couples who have been married in Massachusetts since it became legal in May 2004.
Governor Patrick responded swiftly to the victory. "In Massachusetts today, the freedom to marry is secure," he said. (See video here.) “Today’s vote was not just a victory for marriage equality," he told a crowded assembly. "It was a victory for equality itself." For a black governor of a mostly white state to say that shows that Deval Patrick is a man who gets it, and he's not afraid to stick his neck on the line to do the right thing.
If only other politicians had as much courage as Patrick. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who was once pro-gay before he launched his campaign for president, described yesterday's vote as "a regrettable setback" and called for a national amendment banning gay marriage. "Marriage is an institution that goes to the heart of our society, and our leaders can no longer abdicate their responsibility," he said. One more reason (out of many) not to vote for Mitt Romney.
Former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn has been leading the charge against gay marriage in the state, and President George Bush has also pushed for an anti-gay amendment to the U.S. Constitution to prevent gays and lesbians from marrying. And in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has single-handedly blocked gay marriage in that state even after the state legislature approved it. All those elected officials are white.
Given all the rhetoric about black homophobia, it seems fitting and appropriate that a black governor and former civil rights lawyer from Boston should lead the way. Anybody can stand up and do the right thing when it's easy and popular. It takes courage to do the right thing when it's difficult and controversial. I hope the presidential candidates in both parties (of all races) are watching.
In my book, Governor Deval Patrick is a true hero. He's my person of the week.
Comments conceal
Jeff Hobbs
June 15 2007, 5:16AM
What a superstar! I agree Keith. Hes my person of the week too!:) Wanna go to Mass. and get married? oh wait sorry nathan! LOL Anyway Massachusettes apparently is the place to be. I'll be looking forward to more of Governor Patricks incredible accomplishments. I'm putting on my hot list!:)
Adante
June 15 2007, 7:27AM
Governor Patrick is such a superstar and has real leadership. Way to go Mass!
seahawk
June 15 2007, 8:19AM
Deval Patrick is so cool.
I'd be interested to know his religious background. The striking thing about people like Romney, Flynn, Bush, and their kind, is their strong church history. Religious nutjobs seem incapable of moving forward. (Arnold is just an opportunist; I don't get him at all.)
As a black politician, however, Patrick is also an anomaly. Most of them are so wedded to the black church, they're busy having wetdreams about Jesus rather than looking toward the future.
When it comes to homophobia, I used to say blacks were worst. But as someone on the messageboard said, maybe they're just the loudest.
Nonetheless, this statement by Keith stumps me. Maybe someone can clarify:
"Given all the rhetoric about black homophobia, it seems fitting and appropriate that a black governor and former civil rights lawyer from Boston should lead the way."
Ironic perhaps, but "fitting and appropriate?"
Props to Patrick and Keith.
Kenneth Winfrey
June 15 2007, 9:12AM
"Fitting and appropriate" indeed. Given African Americas legacy in civil rights, (e.g. Martin Luther King) we should never have come to expect the kind of intolerance that we've seen from most of our Black preachers and leaders.
Hats off to Gov. Deval Patrick!
Cocoa Rican![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.keithboykin.com/blog2/nav-commenters.gif)
June 15 2007, 9:45AM
A true hero in the midst of real-life villains!
Vote, stand, make your voice be heard!
Super start in the drive to show the ignorance of inequality in gay marriage legislation!
'dre
June 15 2007, 10:29AM
I'm curious as I don't care about this marriage thing one way or the other, as I see far more pressing issues affecting the gay commuinty. But, why all the hoopla over one state? There are 49 in the union, and they are not going to do it. Have that many couples in Mass. even taken advantage of it?
That said, I wonder if all the white gay men that have demonized Isaiah will now take back thier racist trash talk back now that a BLACK man has stood up for all gays, not just the ones who may be black.
Derrick from Philly![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.keithboykin.com/blog2/nav-commenters.gif)
June 15 2007, 11:02AM
He is handsome, isn't he? Oh, what was the issue y'all were discussin'.
Some homos are so so very shallow.
Greg
June 15 2007, 11:18AM
I'm very glad you are calling out the ludicrous notion that blacks are more homophobic. You might also highlight the fact that on Tuesday, Mildred Loving came out in favor of the freedom of gay men and lesbians to marry. She is the black woman whose marriage to a white man was the subject of the Supreme Court's invalidation of bans of interracial marriage. Tuesday was the 40th anniversary of the decision in her case. For more about her moving comments, check out http://161.58.61.187/artman/archive/06-15-2007.pdf
Mel Smith
June 15 2007, 1:22PM
Agreed! Thanks Keith. Governor Patrick is a hero.
Blue
June 15 2007, 3:24PM
I love this guy ... and he's way cute too. :-) My IBM ... LOL
cmoney
June 15 2007, 3:39PM
I'm with you Derrick and Blue: That Guv is foine! He gets the sexiest governor award from me. Oh yeah, he's good on civil rights too. Yeah. Did I mention he is HOT!?
chicagoangel
June 15 2007, 4:17PM
what were the civial rights leaders of the 60s stance on homosexuals? i mean martin, malcom x and others who lead the way? They were fighting for people being discriminated against based on the color of their skin, which they could not help.
To this day...Im do not believe fully that martin would have been some champion for homos as well.
Blue
June 15 2007, 4:28PM
Well, a homo helped him organize much of his efforts in the movement, so I don't know that that is true. In fact, it was Baynard Rustin who played a key role in King's stance on non-violence. For his time, he was open about his life ... it caused him hardship but King, at least from what I've read over the years, was tolerant and didn't let it affect his dealing with him.
C. Baptiste-Williams
June 15 2007, 4:32PM
definitely a leader... i hope the gays remember him in the next election.
yeahisaidit
June 15 2007, 4:32PM
...@chicagoangel...two words for you, barnard rustin, he was the orchestrator of Dr. King's civil rights affairs and was an openly gay Black man (google him for details)...and so what if Dr. King did desire equality for all...is there something wrong with that?
Mel Smith
June 15 2007, 5:15PM
BAYARD Rustin actually introduced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Ghandi's nonviolent techniques. As a matter of fact, Bayard Rustin did more for black people than Dr. King Malcolm X, and plenty other black leaders. Gay prejudice is the reason people don't know the name of Bayard Rustin. I'm a black gay man. My hero is Bayard Rustin, FIRST, then Dr. King and other black heterosexuals. Dr. King represented the heterosexual power structure. I love King and all the other heterosexuals, but they thought they were superior to Rustin because of his sexual orientation. In other words they look down on Bayard Rustin because he was gay. Bayard Rustin did more for black people then all of them. I completed a 50 page undergraduate report on Bayard Rustin's life. However, Bayard Rustin said that Dr. King would have supported gay rights.
Regan DuCasse
June 15 2007, 6:26PM
He's a full 360 degrees from California's governor. Even though our legislature is now voting TWICE in a few years to allow marriage.
Our governor vetoed it before, and has vowed he will again.
He wants the courts to decide. But it's the COURT that punted it to the legislature!!
Whichever way it goes...it's still in limbo. The voters in the other states that put this as amendments to their state Constitutions, don't seem to have noticed that MARRIAGE isn't saved.
This is what you get when the abstraction and conjecture is more important than reality.
Javier
June 16 2007, 1:52AM
Deval Patrick is my hero
nathan riley
June 16 2007, 6:42AM
Everybody involved in the struggle for MassEquality has been unstinting his their praise for Governor Patrick. He stressed the principal of equality, but he also reminded the legislators that the 2008 election was at stake. If the amendment was on the ballot, then right wing money would pour into Massachusetts.The gay marriage issue would be the controlling issue. In the end, almost nobody -- Republican, Democrat or Independent -- wanted vitriol to set the tone during their reelection campaign.
Solo
June 16 2007, 8:09AM
Let's see if Gov. Patrick's nobility turns into another term in office. I remember when the former New York City mayor David Dinkins went out of his way to include gays in his administration back in the early 90's, when it was far harder to do so, just to get screwed by the same people that he tried to help. To spite the fact that he sought to include them 70% of the gays in New York still voted his rival Rudy Guiliani! The Gov. did a great thing, a leadership thing and I also hope that white gays and white liberals in general appreciate his efforts come next election. I really hope the Gov. fares better that Dave Dinkins did!
John
June 16 2007, 1:08PM
I kind of thought that this had the overtones of the right wing wanting to use the gay marriage thing as yet another wedge issue to the 2008 election, just one hateful group of individuals and Gov. Patrick saw right through them, and with common sense stopped them cold in their nasty tracks. And, thanks Solo for that recap of the Dinkins/Rudy thing. For the life of me I still don't see what is so great about NYC and all the negativity towards blacks.
alicia banks
June 16 2007, 2:53PM
this is great news keith!
he is in the steallr company of others i adore like al sharpton, maxine waters, etc...
fyi
i never said "all"...smile
i say those blacks who do hate gays are the most rabid haters of any race including droves of hypochristians, jamaicans, thugs, bimbos, black politicos, pseudo-afrocentrics etc...
peace
alicia banks
eloquent fury
www.geocities.com/ambwww
alicia banks
June 16 2007, 3:10PM
this is great news keith!
he is in the steallr company of others i adore like al sharpton, maxine waters, etc...
fyi
i never said "all"...smile
i say those blacks who do hate gays are the most rabid haters of any race including droves of hypochristians, jamaicans, thugs, bimbos, black politicos, pseudo-afrocentrics etc...
peace
alicia banks
eloquent fury
www.geocities.com/ambwww
Karim
June 18 2007, 5:44PM
Governor Patrick is a true American.
Bob in BC
June 18 2007, 6:34PM
As a former Massachusetts citizen, I am immensely proud of my state of birth and its current Governor. I am also proud that Governor Duval will not only stand up for basic human rights but, more importantly, will fight for them. He will always have my support.
Regards,
Bob
Saint Rage
June 22 2007, 9:59PM
In addition to Deval Patrick, also point them to U.S. Rep. John Lewis. He has fought the good fight for decades now. This year he is addressing the Atlanta Gay Pride festival. I can hardly wait! Gov. Patrick and Rep. Lewis could probably succesfully live their entire lives and never take a stand on Gay rights. Yet, their commitment to justice for all requires that they speak up. Add them to the list of straight men that I love.
Comment Preview