Latest news with #LGBTQParents
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
LGBTQ+ parents face trauma, says Eastbourne mother
Parents from the LGBTQ+ community face "trauma and discrimination," a mother from Sussex has said. Libby King started Bourne this Way five years ago in her home town of Eastbourne as a support group to provide a non-judgmental space for LGBTQ+ parents, their children, as well as prospective parents.A recent survey found more than half (56%) of LGBTQ+ parents face negative comments about their King said people assume "it has to be Mummy and Daddy and a man and a woman, and you know in this day and age, it doesn't, and it isn't." Ms King said the group regularly meet in Eastbourne "with our t-shirts on in parks, beaches, farms, etcetera".She added: "We are part of the community and we do have children."She said LGBTQ+ parents go through similar challenges to other families but "we probably face a lot more trauma and discrimination" than heterosexual couples. Bourne This Way aims to bring people together within the community, to "offer support, share advice and promote wellbeing for those wishing to embark on starting a family".It also offers a space for individuals and couples who have children already and would like to spend time with people who have shared similar experiences. If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this story, please contact the BBC Action Line. Research by the charity Just Like Us, found 42% of children from LGBTQ+ families had experienced remarks about their said heterosexual, nuclear families are often still seen as the default with a third of all LGBTQ+ parents saying their school refers to families as "mums and dads" by Ingold from the charity said: "It's 2025 and there are no longer just mums and dads. There are all sorts of different families out there" "If we want to build a kinder, more inclusive society, that means building one in which LGBT families are just as accepted as everyone else."
Vogue
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Vogue
Five Mothers on How They Are Protecting Their LGBTQIA+ Children
Today is May 11, the 131st day of 2025. In the last 131 days, 575 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been filed in 49 states—all of them attacking the community's right to breathe, go to school, walk safely down the street, and not only live, but thrive. Today is also Mother's Day. For many of us, mothers are the world's guiding lights, the fixers of all problems. The five mothers below reflect that: They are mothers standing up for their LGBTQIA+ children in a time when their very existence is being called into question. Marcia Gay Harden, mother of three Courtesy Subject 'My children are the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to bed. All parents have preconceived ideas about who our children are. When they begin to define themselves differently, there may be some sort of mourning. But immediately after, hopefully, there's a celebration of the fact that you gave them this place to feel comfortable to explore and be who they are going to be—and you get to receive that gift. The Drag Isn't Dangerous telethon was the first time I said out loud that all of my children identify with the LGBTQ+ community. And then the hate mail came rolling in. I think it came from very right-wing Republican groups with an organized hatred of the LGBTQIA, as you can see by the laws and politics that are currently rolling back all kinds of all kinds of rights, permissions, passports, and healthcare for the community. They should be more interested in insider trading and corruption than the signs on a bathroom. But then one of my kids said 'Work it, Mom. If they're mad, you must be doing something right.' My coping mechanism is just to refocus and ask myself: Who is more important? My kids, or some extended family member, who is choosing to say something inappropriate? My kids, or the neighbors acting rudely? We're talking about who my children are—this is not a political belief, it's their being.
