Summary
The Golden BachelorcontestantKathy Swarts is celebrating Pride Month with her son, who’s gay, and she’s slamming homophobes and their judgmental comments. Kathy, a 71-year-old retired educational consultant from Austin, Texas, got her start onThe Golden Bachelorseason 1, when she competed for Gerry Turner’s heart. However, they developed more of a friendship than a romance, and he went on to get married to Theresa Nist. Gerry and Theresa have since announced that they’re getting a divorce. Kathy has since gone on to become one of the breakout stars of the show, and she currently hosts theBachelor Happy Hour: Golden Hourpodcast with Susan Noles.
“I’m not really sympathetic to people who don’t celebrate every kind of person that we have in this world.”
In an interview withBachelorNation.com, Kathy opened up about what Pride Month means to her. Her 43-year-old son is gay, and came out to her when he was in the ninth grade. Kathy fully accepted him at the time, and explained thatshe’s always been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. She added that, prior to her son coming out, she always had a lot of friends in the LGBTQ+ community, “so it just has enriched my life.“Kathy believes that"Pride is a joyous time where people can celebrate being who they are, and I think anyone who doesn’t needs to get on board.”
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Kathy Swarts “Jumped All Over” People Who Made LGBTQ+ Slurs
Kathy Has Zero Tolerance For Homophobia
Kathy shared,“I’m not really sympathetic to people who don’t celebrate every kind of person that we have in this world.“She explained,“I don’t hear it as much anymore, but in my lifetime,I would hear people make slurs about the gay community and, boy, I jumped all over them.“Kathy explained that she didn’t know these people, but she would stop them short and say that she has a gay son who’s great, and they would love him if they knew him. Kathy declared,“We have to take a stand. If you see something, you have to say something, and if you see injustice, you gotta speak up about it.”
SeveralBachelorNation members have come out as members of the LGBTQ+ community throughout the years. One of the most notable is Demi Burnett, who identifies as bisexual, and got engaged to Kristian Haggerty onBachelor in Paradiseseason 6. Theirs was the first same-sex relationship in the franchise. They’ve since split, but they broke new ground on the show. In addition,The Bachelorseason 23 star Colton Underwoodcame out as gay after his season.The Bacheloretteseason 19 star Gabby Windey hasn’t put a label on her sexuality, but, after her season, she revealed that she was in a relationship with a woman, comedian Robby Hoffman.
It’s beautiful to see that Kathy was so accepting of her son when he came out to herabout 30 years ago. It was a different time then, but Kathy has always been an LGBTQ+ ally, so it wasn’t hard for her. Kathy is setting a wonderful example by celebrating Pride Month, and helping people to learn how they can support the LGBTQ+ community. She’s an amazing mother, who helps her son to feel accepted and loved. It’s inspiring whenBachelorNation members use their platforms for good, andKathy is an incredible role model.
The Golden Bachelor
Cast
The Bachelor returns to TV with The Golden Bachelor, a romantic reality competition series created for ABC. The show will focus on an older generation of hopefuls, with one senior male hoping to court and win the heart of one of several older female contestants.
