Massachusetts Governor Picks Paul Kirk to Fill Kennedy Seat

Former DNC Chairman Paul Kirk will fill Ted Kennedy's vacant U.S. Senate seat until a special election is held in January, the Boston Globe reports:

"Governor Deval Patrick has selected Paul G. Kirk Jr. to serve as interim US senator, a choice that comes with the strong backing of the immediate family of the late Edward M. Kennedy, according to a person with knowledge of the selection process. Patrick has remained mum about his selection, but is scheduled to announce the appointment at a press conference this morning today at the State House. Kirk, 71, is a longtime Kennedy friend and former staff member, a man so close to the family he was chosen as master of ceremonies at Kennedy’s memorial service the night before the funeral last month. An attorney who now lives on Cape Cod, Kirk worked as a special assistant to Senator Kennedy from 1969 to 1977, and is currently the chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. He is familiar with many on Kennedy’s former staff and could help smooth the transition. Kirk was registered as a lobbyist a decade ago. He was paid $35,000 to represent the pharmaceutical company Hoechst Marion Roussel on legislation before the US Senate in 1999, according to federal disclosure records. He is currently on the board of directors of the Hartford Insurance Group."

The special election is set for January 19.

"The interim senator could be sworn in within days after the secretary of the US Senate receives a certification of appointment from the governor, according to Beth Provenzano, a spokeswoman for the secretary’s office. The new senator could begin assembling a staff almost immediately, she said."

Patrick: Special Election to Fill Kennedy Seat on January 19

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced January 19 as the date of a special election to fill the late Senator Edward Kennedy's seat in the U.S. Senate. Patrick said he would continue to push for special legislation that would allow him to appoint an interim successor. A hearing is to be held next week on that issue.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Massachusetts Votes to Allow Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages

Same-sex couples from out-of--state should soon be able to marry in Massachusetts, as the House voted this afternoon 118-35 to repeal the 1913 law forbidding couples from marrying there if the marriage wouldn't be recognized in their home state.

The senate has already approved the repeal and Governor Deval Patrick has indicated he'll sign it.

The Boston Globe reports: "Unlike the Senate, which quickly voted to repeal the law on a unanimous voice vote, the House debated the bill for about 45 minutes. Supporters of the repeal called the law archaic and rooted in racism, urging fellow lawmakers to strip it from the books in the interest of equality. Repeal opponents argued for keeping the law in deference to other states, to prevent legal tangles involving couples who would marry in Massachusetts and want rights in states where gay marriage is outlawed...The 1913 law grew out of the national backlash over the interracial marriage of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, Rushing said today during the debate. At the time, 30 of 48 states banned interracial marriage, and many other states, including Massachusetts, enacted provisions that would keep interracial couples from crossing borders to marry in their jurisdiction. The law remained on the books but fell into obscurity until gay marriage became legalized in Massachusetts, and Governor Mitt Romney cited the law as a means to prevent Massachusetts from becoming what he called 'the Las Vegas of gay marriage.'"

Victory! House passes 1913 law repeal in roll call vote [bay windows]

Father's Day and Gay Pride Mesh as Governor and Daughter March

Although Father's Day was technically the following day, it took on meaning Saturday as Deval Patrick and his daughter Katherine marched in Boston's Gay Pride parade just two days after Katherine came out of the closet publicly in an interview with New England's Bay Windows newspaper.

The AP reports: "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."

Last year, Patrick became the first Massachusetts governor to march in a Gay Pride parade. He marched alongside Katherine in 2007 as well, though she wasn't out.

A brief clip of the father-daughter pair in the parade, AFTER THE JUMP...

Daughter of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick: I'm Gay

Katherine Patrick, the 18-year-old daughter of Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, has come out publicly in an interview with New England gay paper Bay Windows.

Said Katherine: "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...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. ... And I’ll always remember the first thing my dad did was, [he] wrapped me in a bear hug and said, ’Well, we love you no matter what.’""

Bay Windows reports: "Patrick is the first elected official in the country to win statewide office after having campaigned on support for marriage equality. He spent a significant amount of political capital on the defeat of the marriage amendment, meeting privately with more than a dozen wavering legislators, strategizing with legislative leaders and publicly discussing why he supported marriage equality and why he thought the amendment should be defeated. But he says that the notion that one of his daughters could be gay didn’t factor into his advocacy on the issue. 'I don’t think we thought about who they loved - more that they knew what love was and that they would have love in their lives,' he explains. 'You know, it’s interesting even just thinking about having this interview. Katherine and Diane and I and her aunt and Sarah were all talking about, you know, would we give an interview to announce one of our kids was straight? It’s just not about the public ... it’s just about making sure that they had the fullness of their personality and their humanity...Fault me for not getting it,' the governor adds. Then he reveals when he got the first inkling that his daughter might be gay: 'I think when Katherine started to memorize all the episodes of The L Word, there was some hint that maybe she was sending us.'"

Watch a clip of Patrick speaking to the crowd on July 14, 2007, following the failure of the proposed amendment banning gay marriage, AFTER THE JUMP...

With love and pride [bay windows]

Gay Massachusetts Official Cleared in Fla. Sex Assault Case

Carl Stanley McGee. a 38-year-old aide to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick who stood accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male at a steam room in December at the Gasparilla Inn on the island of Boca Grande on Florida's west coast, has had the case against him dropped.

The Boston Globe reports: "For months, officials considered filing charges against Charles Stanley McGee, assistant secretary for policy and planning in Massachusetts, but were unable to make a case. 'I do not believe that there is sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,' Assistant State Attorney Francine H. Donnorummo said in a statement yesterday. 'Consistent with our legal and ethical considerations, I am therefore declining to file formal charges.' Investigators had no DNA evidence or witnesses corroborating the teenager's story, according to the statement, which outlined the problems in the case."

The paper reports that it's unclear whether or not McGee, a Rhodes scholar and Harvard Law School graduate who was "instrumental in defeating efforts to overturn the legalization of gay marriage in the state," will return to his job. He was placed on unpaid leave in early January.

McGee's lawyer made this statement: "The state attorney in Lee County, Fla., after a thorough investigation, has decided that no charges should be brought against Stan McGee. Mr. McGee believes the decision by the Florida prosecutor not to pursue this case speaks for itself, and he looks forward to going on with his life."

Prosecutors clear official in Fla. sex case [boston globe]