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DAVE ROSS

Ross: The historic milestone of America’s first Second Gentleman

Jan 21, 2021, 6:35 AM | Updated: 10:01 am

Doug Emhoff, Second Gentleman, Kamala Harris...

Vice President Kamala Harris, and her husband Doug Emhoff. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

I notice that a lot of people got pretty emotional watching yesterday’s inauguration, and it wasn’t when Joe Biden took the oath – it was when his vice president took the oath too.

I work entirely on Zoom now, so my colleagues’ faces are very tiny, but I could see my co-anchor was tearing up. So I called her out on the air, and then she called me out, because I was pretty close to tears myself.

But I have to come clean on that in this new spirit of truth: Part of it was being the father of two daughters and seeing the cracks in that last glass ceiling finally gave way. But there was another reason.

It was because inaugurating the first female vice president also created : Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.

I was like – hey, I have options now too! Because I think a lot of men feel instinctively that in a heterosexual partnership they have to be the ones in the lead, even though they may not want to be.

Whereas some of us would be just as happy to see our wives our front while we stand in the audience, leading the ovation, accepting the reflected glory, and yes, sharing the paycheck.

And by the smile on his face – you can tell he loves being Second Gentleman.

So there it is, men. A new role model. It’s the Vice President of the United States – and Doug.

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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