Article by Abigail Garner
I’m not a big fan of ceremony. I even skipped my own high school graduation exercises. So last month when I actually looked forward to sitting on a folding chair among the sea of suits and sundresses, I had to giggle at myself. It was Ashley’s graduation and I wasn’t going to [...]
Article by Abigail Garner
I was five when my father left the house he and my mother had lived in and moved into his partner’s house just a couple of miles away. The following year, I was put in a support group at school for children whose parents were divorcing. It seemed that the facilitator’s goal [...]
Article by Abigail Garner
Ah, Pride! My favorite holiday.
For most of the year, we sons and daughters of GLBT parents — especially the adult children — are nearly impossible to pick out of a crowd. And often, when we’re in queer space, our identities tend to be misread. When I’m present at various activities for GLBT [...]
Searching for Father’s Day cards for two dads. This commentary aired on “All Things Considered.”
Article by Abigail Garner
News flash: Growing up with gay parents affects children’s lives differently than children growing up with straight parents. If you have ever read one of my columns before, I hope you can say you already knew that.
In the April 2001 issue of the American Sociological Review, two professors from the University of [...]
Article by Abigail Garner
When I first connected with the networks of GLBT parents over six years ago, the groups consisted mostly of same-sex couples. Their young children were brought into their families through adoption and alternative insemination. Surrounded by these newer families, my story of being born to a heterosexual marriage and having a parent [...]
Article by Abigail Garner
When I first told my mother I had decided to become very public about my family, she wasn’t sure what I had to talk about, nor did she understand where the material would come from. After a few months of learning about my perspective right along with other readers, Mom told me, [...]
Analysis of the 20/20 program about teenagers of gay and lesbian parents. It is unfair to expect teenagers to speak openly on national television about their own sexual orientation simply because they have gay parents. As long as the children are happy, why should their sexuality be of concern to the story?
Article by Abigail Garner
A college student I know turned to her lesbian parents for support when she was breaking up with her boyfriend. With only the best intentions, her parents tried to be supportive by reassuring her that she was not the problem, straight men were. Their daughter stopped them and told them that male-bashing [...]
Laurie’s Parents have been in a legal same-sex marriage for over 30 years.