2007 POINT SCHOLARS

Patrick Kelly

Harvard Law School

Civil Rights

Patrick Kelly was born in New Orleans and raised in San Francisco.  He studied for his undergraduate degree in Boston.  As a veteran of Catholic schools, he was unprepared to face the fact that he might be gay. 

One of his classmates in college decided that he needed to be taught a lesson, and attacked him. That night, as Patrick cowered in his room, he thought, "I was in the closet for safety and the closet was not safe, so I might as well just come out and deal with the consequences."  Those consequences involved two more attacks, but the mental and spiritual freedom of being able to be true to himself was well worth the risk.

Patrick became an activist on campus for LGBT rights and for civil rights more generally.  He served as a member of the Executive Board of the BGLTSA organizing speak-outs and learning days and he reached across groups - for example working with the Catholic Students Association - trying to create understanding among the student body and a safe space for all LGBT people.  He studied rights doctrines all over the world, studied abroad, and became interested in public service. He felt that the best way he could serve his community was to try and make sure that no one would ever have to face the same violence that he did.  Outside of school, Patrick served as an intern at the only national queer youth listening line, expanding their database of resources and conducting telephone counseling to distressed youth.

Patrick hopes to use his law degree to work as a lobbyist on behalf of civil and human rights for all people, especially the LGBT community. Combining his experiences as a hate-crime victim and as a lobbyist with Equality California, he knows that a law degree will enable him to be a fully effective advocate for the community, working both to pass laws that will empower and protect it and to educate stakeholders about the very real needs and struggles LGBT people face.