Children With Gay Parents

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-16-2003
Children With Gay Parents
2
Fri, 06-10-2005 - 9:55am
Children With Gay Parents Talk About Their Families


Children's PressLine

Children's PressLine is a news organization made up of young journalists, ages 8 to 18, who interview peers about national issues that directly affect them.

In 96 percent of U.S. counties, at least one child is being raised by a gay or lesbian couple, according to Census figures analyzed by UCLA researcher Gary Gates.

PressLine journalists interviewed children raised by same-sex parents:

Jessie Voors, 16, Fort Wayne, Ind.: "I first realized that my family was different when I was in pre-school and I was making Mother's Day cards. In pre-school, you love your mom. You can't get enough of her. So I sent everyone home crying that day 'cause they were mad at their parents because they only had one mom and I had two. That was really the first time that I realized I was different. ... My moms wanted to have a kid so they needed a sperm donor. They were both good friends with my dad, so they decided to use him. The same year, my dad met a guy who he is still with. So I have two moms and two dads. I have one dad who is a pretty stereotypical gay man. So if my friends are talking about Broadway, I'll say, 'Yeah, I have to love Broadway. That's what you get when you have gay parents.' It's not something I hide and it's also not something that, I'll say, 'Hi, my name is Jessie and I have gay parents.' "

Cleo Bezis, 16, Brighton, Mass.: "I call all of my moms 'Mom.' I have Mom, Mommy, Momma and Mammy. All four of them have very different personalities. I loved my two moms together and when they split, I was 11, and it gave me a lot of sadness and it made me feel really rejected. I have learned and grown to love both of their new partners. It's very comfortable going to PTA meetings with my parents. All four moms show up and we all go in together. ... Right now, it's very hard for me to interact with my moms. I have landed on rocky terms because of me thinking that she doesn't do enough to be an activist for lesbian and gay marriage. Me being an activist bothers her a lot."

Isabel Rieser, 12, Germantown, Pa.: "Sometimes, if I say, 'I have two dads,' some people think that maybe that means I have a mom and a dad and a mom and a dad. And then I am like, 'No, I have two dads, as in they are gay.' They just don't get it. I never had a moment of epiphany or anything like that, but I have always known that we were different and it never made me feel any different about anything. ... In many little ways, my family is insulted every day. People are like, 'Your parents are gay! Ha-ha-ha.' And I just say, 'You know what? That is not cool.' I hope to either become the first female president or maybe a congresswoman so I can advocate for gay rights and do a lot better job than some other people are doing now."

Xavier Sims, 14, Germantown, Md.: "One day my mom came home from work and she said she needed to talk to me. We sat down and she told me that she was a lesbian. At that time I was kind of mad about it because it didn't seem right, but I got used to it. Before my mom told me, I didn't really know what 'lesbian' or 'gay' meant. I tell my friends when I fully get to know them. If I really trust them enough, I will tell them. ... My friends really don't care 'cause they think that everybody has their own ways. ... I missed out on nothing compared to other kids. They take you places. They take care of you. They help you out. They love you. They provide you with a place to sleep. I have a father in my life, too. I see all three of them. I live with my mother and I see my father on weekends."


Kim
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Gay and lesbian couples in this country are forming healthy
partnerships, parenting children and creating families and
will continue to do so.

Kim
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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-24-2004
Fri, 06-10-2005 - 11:56am

I think this is great! Being a child of a gay father - I do know what they are talking about. I lived with my dad and his husband for over a year. People would ask me which one was my dad - I would say both of them are. My children call them POP-POP R**** and POP-POP K*****.

Angel

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2003
Fri, 06-10-2005 - 11:35pm
That was

 C  >^. A .