Bay Windows has the exclusive scoop on the sexual orientation of Deval Patrick's daughter, Katherine. She's come out as a lesbian just in time for this weekend's Pride Parade and related Pride Week festivities. Deval and his wife are being appropriately supportive, for which we commend them.

In the interview, Katherine reveals that watching her father cheer the defeat of same-sex marriage ban in June 2007 was a moment of pride for her, especially as Deval didn't know of her sexual orientation at the time. Katherine came out her parents in July of last year. It was a "nonevent" in her parents' eyes: they felt it was a given that they'd be supportive of their daughter no matter what.

Katherine is surprisingly eloquent for a youngster, and has a level-headed perspective on her family's place in the public eye:

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... [We] 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.

With regard to the whole situation, Deval poses the interesting question, "Would we give an interview to announce one of our kids was straight?" It will truly be a great day for civil rights when no announcement of anyone's sexual orientation is needed. The Patricks didn't even want to give an interview, but felt it necessary to go public before any publications latched onto the story and tried to inject a sense of scandal into the news.

Bay Windows has much more detail on the story, but it all boils down to the fact that a politician's daughter's sexual orientation isn't really anyone's business but her own. Katherine will enter Smith College this fall, and we wish her the best of luck. We also appreciate the Patricks' level-headed handling of the news, and are pleased by the lack of flipping out by Bay Staters.

Saturday's Pride Parade promises to be an engaging, uplifting experience for all participants and viewers. Bostonist will be taking photos, so check back this weekend for our special Pride Parade Photo Gallery!