Jun 1st, 2009
Standing Up as the Baby
Today is Blogging for LGBT Families Day, an annual event when LGBT families and our allies post to increase awareness about our families. (That’s me and my gay dad in 1973.) Thanks to Mombian for her tireless work to develop and run this event which she founded in 2006.
When LGBT families speak out, adult children are rarely visible. So today I highlight Morgan, the grown daughter of a lesbian mom and a transgender dad. Morgan’s dad is a well-known activist, but he did not require nor expect the same from Morgan. Over the years, Morgan’s dad has been clear to anyone who asked, that if or when his daughter wanted to be speak out it will be her choice and on her terms. In this video, she talks about her resistance to speak out, and how her thinking on this has changed.
Excerpt from the video:
“I stood up as the baby. And I feel like I have to do that all the time. I have to stand up as the baby. I am taken most seriously when I talk about the perspective that babies have.
At one point that really bothered me, ’cause I was trying to grow up and be an adult. And I didn’t want to be “the baby” for the rest of my life. But know I feel it’s extremely important that I stand up as the baby and say, “Hi! I’m still here! And I have things to say about my experience with my parents.”
(Watch all of Morgan’s videos on the “No Dumb Questions” website, a wonderful project about families with loved ones who are transgender.)
Morgan’s message is a good reminder for all queerspawn. Yes, it’s annoying to still be labeled the “kids” decades after taking off the training wheels from our bikes. At the same time, we will always be the children of this community, forever influenced and informed by they joys and challenges that come with this experience. Anti-gay rhetoric continually fights family equality with their tired “concern” about the welfare of the children, as if having gay parents is a new concept that still holds an unknown outcome for the kids.
Kids of LGBT parents know the outcome. We’ve been here all the while, and we have something to say about the rhetoric that vilifies our families.
To my fellow former-babies: Keep standing up.
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Related posts:
Blogging for LGBT Families Day, 2008:
Quitting my job for the freedom to blog about my family.
Blogging for LGBT Families Day, 2007:
We’re Here. We’re Queerspawn. Where do we belong?
Blogging for LGBT Families Day, 2006:
What it’s like to be a queerspawn.
[...] Damn Straight Standing Up as the Baby [...]
I found your blog through Vanessa’s and really like what you have to say. It’s always amazing to me all the groups that exist in this world. I look forward to following your blog. :-D