Through first-person accounts gay and lesbian couples and individuals describe each part of the process of becoming adoptive parents. You’ll hear about the myriad reasons that lead people to decide to adopt a child—and how for some “adoption is a leap of faith.” You’ll also witness the excitement in their memories of getting the call that a child was ready to meet them.
Homophobia continues to be present for many, if not all, of these parents, but in a new way than before they became parents. This takes the form of legal barriers, judgmental questions from family, or realizing the amount of thought that had to go into decisions many straight parents took for granted (such as where to send their children to school or where to take them on vacation.) For some, having a child led to others accepting who they were because a ‘parent’ was a role others could understand while being gay was not.
The parents talk about seeking help when needed and forming supportive new communities. The role that social workers played in their journey was often imperative—whether assisting them with understanding and moving through systems or challenging them to process some of the overwhelming and unthought of issues (such as what both parents would be called to distinguish from each other.) A special emphasis is placed on the intersectionality of race, adoption and GLBT issues as many of the parents adopted trans-racially. Their growing understanding of seeing the world through these children’s eyes was unexpected to many and sometimes considered a greater hurdle than being same sex parents.
In short, this video will allow you to witness the amazing strength and resilience of several lesbian and gay individuals and couples who took on the challenge and joy of becoming parents.
