Coming out is often described as a journey. As parents, it’s a journey we take with our children, whether we first come out before or after starting our families. For National Coming Out Day, here’s my story, plus some additional resources on coming out while a parent.
Today is Giving Tuesday, an opportunity not only to give to charitable causes, but also to remind our children about the importance of giving. Here are some other ways my spouse and I have tried to teach our son this lesson all year round.
Even though I was out before becoming a parent, having a kid meant being out to people I would never have shared anything with, about my queerness or otherwise. One toddler call of “Mommy and Mama!” in the supermarket, however, and everyone could see our rainbow halo.
Only a chance change of job kept me from being at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001. Shortly afterward, my spouse and I began to talk seriously about having a child.
My son is in college now, but it feels like just yesterday he was in preschool and my day of queer parenting looked something like this.
My spouse Helen and I recently chatted with Lisa Schuman of the Donor Conception Conversations podcast about creating our family via reciprocal IVF 20 years ago, talking with our son about his donor, interacting with his schools, legally securing my parentage, and much more. Have a listen!
I first wrote this in 2016, shortly after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando that killed 49 mostly Latine, LGBTQ young people. Seven years later, I am reposting it as a reminder to remember, to teach, and to act.
My spouse Helen and I chatted recently with Jaimie Kelton of The Queer Family Podcast about our path to parenthood via reciprocal IVF, having a son who’s now in college, why I started this blog, and more. Have a listen!
When my son was 7, I asked what he thought I should write about for Mother’s Day, and he said, “Tell them that having two moms is just like having two people of any kind take care of you, except it’s more work on Mother’s Day.”
I still remember the first time it happened, when my son was in preschool in the early aughts. I’ve shared this story before, but not for a while. As we approach the season of parenting holidays, I thought I’d do so again.
