Three stories too good to wait for another full roundup:
Inspiration
Two gay dads whose son is a ballet dancer? It sounds like an uninformed cliché, but Ontario dad Rob Gibson says of 11-year-old James, “We didn’t even push him in dance.” Apparently, teachers and family friends noticed the boy’s sense of rhythm, and encouraged him to try lessons. After just two years of training, James is performing with the National Ballet of Canada this fall. The Toronto Star has a great profile of the family.
The article cites a social worker, Meg Gibson, who notes that children of gay and lesbian parents are no more likely than those of straight parents to be gay themselves [and no less –Ed.], and adds, perceptively:
There is also some evidence that [lesbian and gay parents] may be less strict in their interpretation of sexuality and gender than kids from strictly heterosexual backgrounds. So that might mean that a kid has a chance to explore a talent that may, in another context, have been squashed … If you have a family — whether that family is gay, heterosexual or a mix of the two — that says follow your own interests, follow your own talents regardless of what everybody says you should be doing, that’s phenomenal. And that may be more likely in a family where people have already had to deal with those stereotypes and question them and challenge them.
It’s a great story, not only because of the gay dads, but because James’ tale is a wonderful one of hope. He and his brother were “removed from a home plagued by abuse, addictions and mental-health issues” when James was 18 months old, and lived with two foster families before being placed with Gibson and his partner Thomas Jones. Now, James is attending the National Ballet School and has a role in the upcoming National Ballet production of The Nutcracker.
Remembrance
Miami lesbian mom Joanna Grover reflects on the tragedy that befell Janice Langbehn, who was banned from her dying partner’s bedside, along with their three children. Ten years ago, Grover’s partner was also gravely ill in an emergency room, but Grover was allowed to visit. She writes:
My partner survived. I am so sorry Lisa did not. I am horrified by what her partner and their children had to endure. She and her family will be forever in my thoughts and prayers.
Unable to make any progress with the inhumane gatekeepers at Jackson the night Lisa lay dying alone, Janice described going outside and screaming into the Miami night. I look out at that same night sky now and think of Janice.
Grover also quotes Langbehn herself, who said:
No one should have been able to deny our children and [me] the ability to say goodbye to Lisa and let her know—if only be holding her hand — that she was so loved. That should not be a privilege in our country but a basic human right of every family regardless of how they define themselves.
Courage
Seattle lesbian mom Amie Bishop writes of testifying in front of the Washington state House Judiciary Committee last February in support of the Domestic Partnership Expansion bill, which is now being challenged by Ref 71. Her 11-year-old son stood up for their family rights:
Our son hadn’t planned to testify that chilly day back in February, but he was moved to speak after hearing what, to his young ears, must have seemed to be a confusing and sometimes hurtful denial of rights to our family. So he took the microphone and had this to say: “Some of you may not think of my family as a family, but I know in my heart that we are. So please pass this bill so everyone will know that this is my family.”