by Ruth, a doctoral candidate in Family & Child Development,
with a certificate in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research, at
the University of Georgia. Her blog post is reproduced, in part,
below:
When I was an undergrad at Syracuse University, Mr. Pat Buchanan
himself came to speak at the chapel that served as our free speech
zone. Always a believer in knowing my enemies, I went to hear him
and managed to snag a seat in the very front row. Sitting along
side a twitchy young woman with a folded sheet on her lap, I
listened to him deftly avoid every controversial topic we knew him
for, focusing instead on uniting concepts like improving our
chances for getting jobs upon graduation. At the end of his
lecture, just when the crowd seemed least sure of what to do, a
group of protesters who were spread throughout the chapel stood
quietly and assumed their places. Pairs of lesbians rose from the
seated audience and began their kiss-in, long lines of liberals
formed behind the micophones with question sheets in hand, and my
neighbor on the front row bench sprung to the front of the room
with her sheet. It turns out that her friend didn’t make it, so
she took my hand in mid-leap and I joined her. Heady with the
moment, there I was holding a homemade banner with an unknown
message. I smiled at the room, spotting several of my professors,
along with my confused boyfriend. Then I leaned back to read my
banner, squinting through the sheet at the backwards, hand painted
words.
“Gay Families Have Values, Too”
Within the week one of my classmates lost her job after a photo of
her taken during the kiss-in reached her employer. She became the
most important housemate I ever had even though we ended on terms
that, in retrospect, I am not proud of. I learned a lot from her,
and from that event. Her former employers at the childcare center
didn’t seem to agree with our banner, but the truth of it is
difficult to deny for those who spend any amount of time with
same-sex parents and their children. All families have values of
one sort or another, that’s inherent in the definition of the
word. But those politically hot Family Values? One would expect to
find them in homes where parents value their children, pour their
hearts and resources into them, and never take for granted their
ability to hold them close. Where are you more likely to find those
kinds of Family Values than in a crowd gay and lesbian headed
households?
This morning’s NY Times published an article on Rosie
O’Donnell’s annual R Family Vacations charter cruise, filled
with food and Broadway music. The whole article is worth a read,
but the first 5 and final 3 paragraphs are a soul felt reminder of
the real life application of this type of family’s values. Take a
look for a refreshing alternative to photos of gay Pride events.
Pride has a very important place in our culture, but most same-sex
families would rather plod around in their crocks, sharing ice
creams at the park (or on the cruise ship) instead.