May 30, 1995: lesbian … with adopted child – From the Advocate Archives
Don Romesburg
The complexities of reproduction, adoption, and custody have long been a concern for gay parents. In 1995, The Advocate featured out actress Amanda Bearse as part of a larger story on the burgeoning 1990s “gayby boom.” Bearse’s daughter, Zoe, whom she adopted, was then 2.
Advocate national correspondent John Gallagher talked to both gay parents and people who were raised by gay parents about the difficulties gay families face in society.
Stefan Lynch, executive director of Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere, said, “Isolation causes a lot of unnecessary stress on kids.” He noted that society’s dismissal of gay coparents can be painful for kids. When he was 15 and his dad’s partner of 10 years died, Lynch said, “People didn’t understand why it was difficult for me. Most straight people had no point of reference.”
Bearse said that gay parents must give their children the self-confidence needed to deal with discrimination: “If a child is born and raised in a home that is loving and nurturing, where there is complete truth about who we are, you can’t give a child any greater place from which to fly.”
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