3 votes

Four parents, two gaybies, one very modern family

3 comments

  1. [2]
    Eva
    Link
    This is in general just such a bad article, and I'm really conflicted on whether these are meh people or terrible people. and then... WellThatWasQuick.JPEG The article is just /super/...

    This is in general just such a bad article, and I'm really conflicted on whether these are meh people or terrible people.

    "The thing that really annoys me is the way heterosexual people talk to me about custody," Charlie says.

    "'Custody' is something heterosexual people do to a child when they're divorced, and we are neither of those things."

    and then...

    Ruth and Betty were also having relationship difficulties, and this played into the deteriorating dynamic.

    There was one highlight during this time — their daughter Alice was born, this time with John as the biological father.

    But the household tension eventually took its toll. The shared property was sold and each couple moved back into separate homes in Canberra.

    From then on, the two children spent equal time between the two new homes.

    WellThatWasQuick.JPEG

    The article is just /super/ condescending, and I say that as a person who's bi and has no reason to dislike this.

    3 votes
    1. Algernon_Asimov
      Link Parent
      I don't get how it's condescending. It merely documents the events of the family's history. Break-ups do happen, even in the best of homes. And I thought Charlie's quote about "custody" was quite...

      I don't get how it's condescending. It merely documents the events of the family's history. Break-ups do happen, even in the best of homes.

      And I thought Charlie's quote about "custody" was quite on-point. This family is neither heterosexual nor divorced, so "custody" shouldn't be considered in the same way for them - especially when there are four parents involved (plus one step-parent), rather than the usual two. To me, this thinking harks back to the gay lib movement of the 1970s, where gay men in particular were advocating for non-traditional relationships. The idea was that, as homosexuals (and bisexuals), we already don't fit in to heteronormative stereotypes, so why should we blindly follow heteronormative relationship traditions designed for heterosexual couples? Why can't we take the opportunity that comes of our being different to make our own, new, relationship and family traditions? Those men would have been dismayed to see the young gay men of today getting married and having babies in a parody of heteronormativity. We're different. Equal, but different. Or, at least... we could be.

      1 vote
  2. Michael-Schmidt
    Link
    Lovely article that shows what is important in a family. To care for children and giving them the feeling of to be loved. I think these constellations will get more in the future.

    Lovely article that shows what is important in a family. To care for children and giving them the feeling of to be loved. I think these constellations will get more in the future.

    1 vote