We often hear about the fact that more lesbians and gays are raising children – from their same sex relationships or from earlier ones.
But as one participant in a new Irish study says: “Everyone talks about us, but no-one ASKS US!” what it is like to be in such a family. The people making laws about them in particular fail to ask these questions.
So that is exactly what Marriage Equality Ireland did: interviewed children from 12 families headed by same sex couples.
The report also details incidents of everyday homophobia, in particular the policy of some schools who will not allow sick children go home with their non-biological parent, and how children act in their daily life:
“They’ve always been my moms … me calling (name) my mother’s partner is sort of a really
bizarre thing in my head. It’s just my mum and my mum. And it’s differentiating between them is like: mum 1 and mum 2, mum A and mum B, or nonbiological and biological mother; but it’s just mum and mum …”
Ireland recently passed a law allowing for civil partnerships but not full marriage equality.
Tags: children of gay parents, children of lesbian parents, gay marriage Ireland, Marriage Equality Ireland, same sex marriage Ireland, Voices of Children Marriage Equality
