Mary Cheney, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, is pregnant and expecting a child in the spring, according to a report on the Washington Post on Dec. 6. It is the first child for Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, who reside in the bucolic Washington, D.C., suburb of Great Falls.
The openly lesbian Cheney has played a leading role in her father's campaigns, effectively managing day-to-day activities during the 2004 reelection effort. She currently works as vice president of consumer advocacy at AOL. Poe, a former park ranger, is renovating their home.
Mary's book, Now It's My Turn: A Daughter's Chronicle of Political Life, was released in May and promptly tanked, despite a blitz of media appearances by the author.
'The vice president and Mrs. Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth grandchild,' spokesman Lea Anne McBride told the Post.
The couple have declined to discuss details of how Mary became pregnant, though clinics in Virginia are among the leaders in artificial insemination.
In November, Virginia joined the list of states that have amended their constitutions to prohibit same-sex marriage. Mary had written a check to oppose that amendment. It is unclear what parental rights Poe will have with regard to the child.
The news is likely to cause consternation among the religious right who oppose any effort to 'normalize' gays and lesbians within society. The fact that the administration is now viewed as a lame duck may allow them to speak more freely.
