Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris's Second Gentleman, Is Not Just a Wife Guy, He's a 'Girl Dad'

By Ashley Reese  |  December 16, 2020 | 7:20pm
Politics
Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris's Second Gentleman, Is Not Just a Wife Guy, He's a 'Girl Dad'
Image:OLIVIER DOULIERY (Getty Images)

Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris, is already poised to be the White House’s number one wife guy. But there’s another title he also holds dear: “Girl dad.”

A new interview with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and Harris touched on a wide range of topics: Congress’s lack of action on the covid-19 relief package (“the people here in Washington, D.C. have got to stop living in a bubble”), how to ensure that communities of color trust the covid-19 vaccine rollout (“it’s about remembering history… and then also reminding folks this vaccine is about one thing… saving lives”), and that Dr. Jill Biden honorific controversy (“When there’s anyone who tries to diminish the significance of people who work hard, I think that’s not the American way”).

But Harris was most animated when discussing the ways in which both she and her husband will shatter gender norms. Harris will become the first woman vice president as well as the first Black-American and Asian-American to hold the office, which she describes as a “big responsibility.” Meanwhile, her husband will be the first “second gentleman.”

“He is very excited about it,” Harris said. “And, I will tell you, he has this sweatshirt that says ‘Girl Dad’ that’s almost in tatters. He’s very proud of being the father of a daughter.”

Harris promptly amended her sentence, adding that he’s proud to be the father of a son too. Whoops!

Harris noted that Emhoff is aware that his historic title, a role reversal of sorts, doesn’t end the work that must be done to address gender parity. “

“We still have so much work to do to remind our children of every gender that they should not be confined by the limited perception that some might have of who they are and what they can be,” Harris said.

Hell, she’s right. Every American should remind their children that they too can grow up to be Vice President of the United States or Girl Dad/Wife Guy hybrids.

 
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