Life At Home with State Rep. Carl Sciortino
by Laura Kiritsy, Bay Windows
4/20/2006
State Rep. Carl Sciortino shatters the stereotype that all gay men live in fabulous houses, where plaids and floral prints somehow mingle lovingly on the antique divan and the morning sun slants in on the breakfast nook just so, brightening a morning meal of home-made scones and freshly-squeezed orange juice. For Sciortino, the biggest debate about color scheme in his newly-purchased Medford home appears to come when he and Rachel Berry, a longtime friend who lives upstairs, disagree over the color of his bedspread. Sciortino says purple. Berry says blue. Ask him to characterize his interior décor and he pauses, then replies with a laugh, "I had a few things lying around and stuck them on the wall."
"I tried to color coordinate things," he adds, somewhat apologetically, as he stands in the center of his living room, amidst a deep red couch, a matching chair and a Target area rug, colored in various shades of red. "And its a work in progress." Berry strolls in a moment later and is asked to weigh in on the rooms style. "Im just at a loss," she shrugs. "Id say its red."
Sciortinos first floor unit isnt quite ready for a spread in Martha Stewart Living but its clean, sunny and homey. There are some nice touches, like the set of French doors that open from the living room -- which contains a large built-in book case -- onto a sun porch at the front of the house. Theres a great black and white family photo atop the living room stereo, taken when Sciortino was just a tot. Holding court on a book shelf in the "dining room-slash-library" is a ceramic figure of a college graduate in a rainbow striped gown, a gift from his mother upon his graduation from Tufts University. "That tells you something about my mother," he laughs. Sciortino then leaves the room and returns seconds later with another gift from his mother. Its a large ceramic ferret, a replacement for the pet Sciortino had to leave behind when he left home for college. Apparently, its now only displayed on special occasions. Like when mom pays a visit, for instance. The small, fenced in backyard is nicely groomed with a brick patio at centerstage, perfect for barbecuing and outdoor dining.
Then theres the a slightly tubby tabby cat that answers to Kitty, the pet angel fish known as Fish and a plant named Tasha. ("Its named after a drag queen that looks like a friend of ours," he explains.)
Whats in the CD player? Sciortino warily hits a button on the stereo and the tray slides out. He picks out the CD. "Oh no. Its The Best of Buffy St. Marie," he laughs. "She was a war-protesting folk singer."
Sciortino purchased the century-old home, which sits on the Medford/Somerville line, with Berry and her fiancée, Justine Kahn, last August; they were all moved in by October. Berry and Kahn occupy a second-floor unit that is exact in its layout, if not its décor (there is definitely something to be said for a womans touch) to Sciortinos. The arrangement suits the trio financially. But perhaps more importantly, it meets their temperamental needs. "Financially, it was the only way I could buy a house," Sciortino explains of the co-ownership. Though he might have been able to purchase a "very, very small" condo on his own, Sciortino says he enjoys the sense of community he gets from living in close quarters with Berry and Kahn. Similarly, Berry says that she and Kahn could have purchased a condo by themselves, but werent thrilled with the prospect of not knowing their immediate neighbors. She and Sciortino have known each for a decade, going back to their freshman year as Tufts freshman. The friendship evolved somewhat slowly, they reveal, due to the fact that Berry, who is also Sciortinos campaign manager, didnt really like him at first. "He was just a geek," Berry recalls. "He was really into Jewel. So when he got over that, we became friends."
As it is now, the three regularly dine together -- Berry does most of the cooking -- and theyve all pitched in to dig a garden along the swaths of earth on either edge of their driveway. In the past couple of weeks theyve planted flowers, an array of herbs, blueberry and raspberry bushes and strawberry plants. And theres no need for knocking on doors. "Oh, we bust into each others houses all the time," says Sciortino. But if Sciortino smashes the Queer Eye stereotype of a gay man, Berry and Kahn break a stereotype of their own: "For lesbians, theyre not very handy," Sciortino gripes good naturedly. "They have to call me to fix toilets and stuff."
Given that the 27-year-old Sciortino hasnt even been settled into his new pad for a year, perhaps he can be forgiven for such quirks as a bedroom thats decidedly more "State U," than "State House." Hes got a low-lying desk in there, with a mismatched neon purple rolling chair, the kind you buy at Bed Bath and Beyond (Disclosure: I have the exact chair in silver - but its not in my bedroom). Powder blue walls. And that bedspread of indeterminate color. But the truth is, even if he never learns the difference between chenille and lame (or purple and blue) the home reflects Sciortinos down to earth, self-deprecating charm. Its the kind of place where youd feel comfortable kicking off your shoes and slouching in a chair on your first visit. And like one former state legislator was a couple years back, Sciortino will probably never be indicted for extorting money from contractors to fund home improvement projects.
And of course, hes charmed at least one of his neighbors. Not long after Sciortino and company settled into their new abode, he and Berry went out for a walk with Berry's dog Bonnie. They approached a neighbor who was out on his front porch to introduce themselves, at which point Bonnie took off running into the mans house. Without a word, Sciortino tore off into the house after her and found Bonnie chowing down at the resident dogs bowl. Sciortino retrieved the dog and they emerged from the mans house, at which point he formally introduced himself: "Hi, Im your state rep," said Sciortino. The man laughed. Sciortino says now, "We get along fine."