“By the time my son reached Pre-K, there was no denying he was truly one fabulous little guy. People have asked me for years if Sam is gay or transgender. My response? ‘Sam is a child, and if I have anything to do with it, he’ll be a happy one.’”
‘The kid never leaves home without his purse. He spends his money on makeup, and loves all things pink and sparkly.’ Mom supports her 10-year-old non-binary son and ‘all his fabulousness’
‘I told a friend how excited I am for my daughter to see The Little Mermaid movie. I was so proud my daughter would see herself in Ariel, a beautiful Black princess.’
“My friend didn’t understand the big deal. She ‘doesn’t see color.’ She thinks it doesn’t matter what race or ethnicity characters are, because we are all ‘the same.’ Can I be honest? You. Are. Wrong.”
‘Are you a boy or a girl?’ My daughter responded with the craziest look on her face. ‘I’m a girl!’ I knew she was gay. I always knew she was ‘different.’
“By the time she was 4, her tomboy phase became something different. I remember getting her ready for school. ‘Mom, I want to dress like a girl today!,’ she said. I went out to the living room and told my husband to ‘not make a big deal about what she was wearing.’ He was her protector.”
‘Look at that beautiful little blonde baby you made! Why would you want to adopt a biracial child?!’ My parents were appalled.’
“We could not have looked more different from one another. One day, we were walking home from school when several boys rode their bikes up to us and started throwing rocks. ‘GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!’ We were terrified.”
‘I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this,’ he said, ‘but she is not pregnant. I just saw her at a family gathering last week.’ I felt sick to my stomach. With shaking hands, I called my wife.’
“A 19-year-old commented on our photo: ‘Hey, message me, it’s important.’ My heart skipped a beat – could this be good? I dialed as quickly as possible. ‘From the moment I saw you, I knew you were meant to be his moms.’”
‘My daughter’s friends told her they don’t like ‘those’ people. I’ve witnessed parents make their children leave the playground when my Black son showed up.’
“I can’t believe I was blind to this for so long. I know this makes my white friends uncomfortable. I am embarrassed it took my child being treated poorly for me to listen. But what I now know, I can’t unknow.”
‘I gave birth to a beautiful Chinese baby in which I share zero genes with. HE DIDN’T GET THE MEMO.’
“I now had a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and I was newly divorced. ‘How were you able to give up the baby?’ I felt like I signed my life away. They needed to make sure I wasn’t going to go crazy.”
‘He asked, ‘What parts do you have?’ I said, ‘EXCUSE ME?’ I was uncomfortable being interrogated. He pressured me. I refused. He decided putting his hands on me was the ‘right’ thing to do.’
“I met a doctor I hadn’t seen before. I lifted my shirt to show him. Accidentally, I lifted it a bit too far, revealing my scars. He stared. I knew he was staring. Instead of doing the right thing, he decided to ‘find out for himself.’”
‘Don’t get offended, babe. I just know you love that sort of stuff.’ My husband’s mortifying statement has haunted me for 12 hours. I couldn’t be more ashamed of myself if I tried.’
“I think I could feel myself elevate 3 inches off the ground while I came to terms with what he just said to me. If you’re a ‘Dave’ and you’re reading this, put down your phone, flush the toilet, and ask your partner if there’s something you can do to help.”
‘Someone at school told me you’re gay.’ I couldn’t keep this secret any longer. I poured my heart out to her. I thought I’d lost my friend. Until my phone pinged. ‘I like you, too.’
“We hid, for months. People started to suspect our relationship. We were pelted with rocks while waiting for the bus. We were spat on. Soon, her mom found out. They moved her 10 hours away. I barely had any contact with her. As the train arrived on the platform, she was waiting for me.”
