Jenny Durkan, the U.S. attorney for Western Washington, is the first openly LGBT U.S. attorney and also a mom. She’s rumored to be a possible choice for the next U.S. attorney general now that Eric Holder is stepping down — but another likely nominee is the supportive father of a lesbian daughter.
Durkan, who announced earlier this month that she is stepping down from her current role, has two children with her partner Dana Garvey. She was a criminal and civil attorney before becoming U.S. attorney. The Seattle Times noted her accomplishments in the latter role in the area of police accountability and civil rights. She has also chaired the Attorney General’s advisory Subcommittee on Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Enforcement since 2009, and served on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s Attorney General Advisory Committee. Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed has more, including the response from various LGBT organizations about her possible appointment as the nation’s top cop.
I mention her status as a mom because as a mom with paid employment myself, I think it’s always good to see examples of women who have managed to balance the demands and expectations of both family and career.
NBC News reported that Durkan could be in line for the job, but added that the top name being floated is Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. What NBC didn’t say (because its article did not focus on LGBT equality) is that Patrick’s daughter Katherine is an out lesbian. Patrick himself has been an advocate for marriage equality since before his daughter came out to him. Once she did, he was completely supportive of her, as Bay Windows reported.
Obviously, there’s much more to being U.S. attorney general than supporting LGBT equality. But it’s nice to know that two of the nominees who have risen to the top because of their broader experience and accomplishments would also be likely to continue the track record of Attorney General Holder, whose record on LGBT rights has been “unmatched.”