Patrick is a Cleveland native, growing up in the suburbs of the city, both of his parents also from the Midwest. and later venturing off to Ann Arbor, Michigan for his four years undergraduate before coming back for medical school. A lover of science from. A young age, medicine felt like a natural path for his future.

Patrick’s coming out experience was greatly influenced by his upbringing in a Catholic family in a household where the stance on being gay was not exactly clear. Patrick came out gradually, like many of us do, first to friends, to his sister, then finally to his parents and extended family. “I didn’t come out all at once […] there wasn’t fanfare. But it was still liberating and made me feel more confident.” 

These experiences, as many queer individuals know are rarely smooth sailing all the way. Much of our parents’ generation’s perception of gay people is filled with fear from the AIDS crisis. Parents often express fears for their gay sons, including Patrick’s family. “I understand it stems from historical trauma and stigma. My mom didn’t know many thriving gay adults because many moved away or were part of a generation heavily impacted by the AIDS crisis.” He emphasized that there is whole generation of gay role models, friends, and siblings missing

Ohio, on occasion, might not be the safest place for a gay person to grow up or come out; Patrick recalls the common occurrence of being a gay man surrounded by women at a young age; feeling like they are your protectors.

In medicine, I truly believe that the life experiences we accumulate throughout our lives enhance our clinical skills, a sentiment Patrick and I both share. “Growing up gay, you learn to perform. You learn to communicate and play a character. I think that’s made a huge difference in medicine and in life. You have a strong sense of empathy and understand what it feels like to pretend to be something you’re not. Medicine involves a lot of vulnerability and honest conversations. When you’re closeted, there’s this period where you can’t even tell yourself the truth. That’s painful in retrospect, but when you’re in it, it’s just everyday life. I think that helped me understand denial and how people approach difficult realities.” And we both know that this will only enhance his ability to take care of patients.