James Barry, unsung hero Military surgeon James Barry was born around 1789. In 1809 he began his studies at Edinburgh Medical School, before travelling to London to complete his training as a surgeon. From there he enlisted in the British Army and traversed the globe, rising through the military ranks. By the end of his…
Read more
Being a lesbian grandparent
From lesbian feminist to gay granny Penny Ward is 62 and looks after her two grand-daughters regularly. Here she reflects on coming out when her sons were young, their paths to parenthood and being comfortable with her sexuality when others were not. “Cover yourself up, Granny!” I am taking my eight-year-old grand-daughter swimming. “Most grannies…
Read more
Celebrities & their pets
Proud of our pets! Just as much a part of the family as anyone else, we all love our pets, and celebs are just the same! 4 stars 'fess up... Paul O’Grady & Olga Comic genius-turned-national treasure Paul O’Grady is well-known for being an animal lover. “I’m very lucky,” the farm-residing TV presenter told Gay…
Read more
Fostering a child with special needs
The rewards of fostering: a child with Aspergers Teresa, 36, and her partner Tracy, 33, have been foster parents for Orange Grove Fostercare for three years. The organisation specialises in long-term placements of young people. Finding out that their foster son had Asperger syndrome was at first challenging, but once Teresa and Tracy understood his…
Read more
Parenting a trans child, part 5
Squiggles finds his name What’s in a name? If we’re talking about the ones we give ourselves – or the ones given to us by our parents – a lot. Harriet Doyle continues the story of life with her adopted trans child. Most of the time our own names carry a lot of pride, heritage…
Read more
Co-parenting with Charlie Condou
Daddy, Muma and Wawa: co-parenting with Charlie Condou, his partner Cameron and good friend Catherine You may know him as Marcus Dent in Coronation Street but Charlie Condou is passionate about gay parenting and whenever possible talks openly about co-parenting his children Georgia, 5 and Hal, 2, with his partner Cameron (the kids call him…
Read more
Choosing a fertility clinic
Lesbians & fertility treatment: how to choose a clinic Many lesbians wanting to start a family choose to go to a clinic for treatment and use donor sperm, but with many clinics competing for your business how do you decide where to go and what treatment to have? Helen Priddle, Embryology Lab Manager at the…
Read more
Inter-partner egg donation
Making Tayt: inter-partner egg donation Purdey and Maddie both always wanted children, and combining inheritance with money from a house sale they could afford IVF treatment. They decided Purdey would carry Maddie’s fertilised egg – called inter-partner donation. Here they share their journey. Maddie: “We always had the idea of carrying each other’s child.” Purdey:…
Read more
Surrogacy in the UK: a personal story
A story of surrogacy in the UK: first steps on a journey Paul Gittins is in the early stages of planning his family. He explores the emotions that have emerged as he and his partner Bryan decide to try surrogacy in the UK. "The decision has been a long time coming for us. We’ve been…
Read more
Shared breast-feeding: induced lactation
Shared breast-feeding: one couple's story of building the bond One lesbian couple explains why having both mothers breast-feed was a positive way to start their parenting journey. Jane*, 30 and Sarah*, 34, have just finished weaning their daughter Lily*, now 8 months old. As a lesbian couple who wanted to be equal parents from the…
Read more
- 1
- 2
