Lesbian Parenting

Tonight we went into a local tech college, to present a panel for a gender studies class. The panel was on lesbian parenting, but was also strategically planned to be just before the November vote on the marriage amendment.

I have done these a couple of times before, much more generic with much younger students as a part of a human sexuality section at the University. This class was adults, and the dynamic was quite different. For the most part we just did a short bit on the agency, and then through things open to questions. They were amazing. Everything from the standard questions about "when/how did you know you were a lesbian?", to the "how do lesbians have sex?" For about 90 minutes, we answered any question they wanted to ask, and they were given specifics by their instructor about respectful questioning.

For me, the most unique question was raised by a younger womon who wanted to know if I breast fed my children. I explained that I tried with my first two i was unable. She was stuck on the idea that breast feeding offered a special bond, one that two fathers could never hope to approximate. Most of the class argued against that idea. Then there was the mom who wanted to know when she should start telling her kids about homosexuals and families with 2 moms or 2 dads. I suggested that first she should teach her children how to be respectful of people and differences, how to value diversity, and then when the kids began to ask, giving them age appropriate answers would be the "right time" to tell them.

I love doing the speaking engagements. The more often we tell our stories, the more often people get to know us a bit, know that we are no different as people than they are....the more comfortable they become with the idea that we all deserve equal rights.