Patrick Mooney

Math teacher Patrick Mooney and his partner Greg Lyon.

Just like any other math teacher, Patrick Mooney’s typical day starts out with welcoming students into his classroom, grading papers and watching them learn. He is a master of puns, he is friendly, he is always joking, he is positive, he is outgoing and he believes that you should be proud of who you are.

That lesson came into play when he found himself part of a minority.

At the age of 10 Mooney realized he had a different sexual orientation, but did not come out until the age of 21.

“I generally think of myself not being very aware of any sexuality until college,” Mooney said.

Mooney was not open about his sexuality until college, and never believed that it should cause him to act any differently.

“My personal goal? I am going to be me,” Mooney said. “I’m all about trying to keep things as ‘normal’ as possible.”

His friends, family and church accepted his orientation when he told them.

“I had a really nice conversation with my priest. I wanted to be a part of my faith community, but I did not know if that was still possible. Surprisingly enough, they accepted me with open minds and arms,” Mooney said.

Mooney has always been open with his students when it comes to discussing his sexual orientation; for this, he has gained their respect.

“Interestingly enough, during math, it doesn’t come up that much,” Mooney said. “But if a student asks me a direct question then I am going to be honest because I never lie to my students.”

But there is still uncertainty among the general public about whether or not sexual orientation should be a factor of one’s place in the workforce.

“There is no protection if someone wants to fire me because I am gay,” Mooney said. There are organizations that fire people just because of that reason.”

Despite such dangers, Mooney has chosen to be honest about his sexual orientation, and he inspires his students in similar situations to do the same.

“I would understand if a student were to not tell their parents right away out of fear,” Mooney said. “But I would still do it for yourself, because ultimately you have a right to be happy with your life.”