I first heard from Patrick Burke shortly after the death of his brother, Brendan, in response to a column I wrote. In Patrick’s note to me, he said, “We will continue to fight for a day when Brendan’s story would be unremarkable and commonplace.” He takes another step in that direction with a thoughtful piece he has written for us about the meaning of his brother’s coming out.
This was not an easy piece for Patrick to write. He struggled with it for months, the emotions of his brother's death overwhelming him at times. When I met Patrick and much of Brendan's family at the GLAAD Awards, they could not have been sweeter or more proud of Brendan…but they were also stricken with grief. Through that, Patrick found the perfect words to express the meaning of his brother's courageous coming out and the importance for straight people in power to make the sports world more welcoming for gay athletes.
I first heard from Patrick Burke shortly after the death of his brother, Brendan, in response to a column I wrote. In Patrick’s note to me, he said, “We will continue to fight for a day when Brendan’s story would be unremarkable and commonplace.” He takes another step in that direction with a thoughtful piece he has written for us about the meaning of his brother’s coming out.
This was not an easy piece for Patrick to write. He struggled with it for months, the emotions of his brother's death overwhelming him at times. When I met Patrick and much of Brendan's family at the GLAAD Awards, they could not have been sweeter or more proud of Brendan…but they were also stricken with grief. Through that, Patrick found the perfect words to express the meaning of his brother's courageous coming out and the importance for straight people in power to make the sports world more welcoming for gay athletes.
