This year it is ten years since the laws changed around sperm and egg donor anonymity. Where all sperm and egg donors had been anonymous, they are no longer. Donor-conceived children now have the right to trace their biological donor once they turn 18. So if our sons, who are 5 and 2, had been…
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Gender-neutral pronouns
Unsure how to refer to someone who is gender neutral? Here’s our top six appropriate pronouns and examples of how you would use them: HEN: used in Sweden Herm or they: in place of him or her Ne/nem/nir/nirs/nemself (Ne went to get nir hair cut) Spivak: Ey/em/eir/eirs/eirself (Ey likes to drink coffee when eir workload…
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Calling two mummies
Mother Mother is an innovative performance project in development for 2016, exploring the experiences of lesbians who use donor conception to create their families. Incorporating circus, theatre, projected images and animation, it looks at parenthood outside ‘normal’ family structures, attitudes to assisted reproduction, gender identity and more. The company, a collaboration between lead artist and…
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Mother Mother: a circus performance exploring lesbians’ experiences of becoming mothers
Alice Ellerby is an aerialist and performer and is making a collaborative show about lesbians' experiences of becoming mothers. www.aliceellerby.co.uk I'd been with my girlfriend for about two years when it hit me that we might one day want to have children together. The realisation was terrifying – if one of us was going to…
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Committing to the politics of awareness
Guest blogger Anna Bianchi is a creative activist, writer, workshop teacher and change guide, and a grandmother with a 4-year-old grandson who is exploring female gender identity. Here Anna explores the role she has in society that only became apparent through having a gay son and a grandson exploring female gender identity. Anna’s website: www.annabianchi.co.uk This…
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LGBT adoption: jargon buster
Jargon buster Tummy mummy: an easy term instead of birth mother that young kids understand Forever family: a child’s adoptive family are known as their forever family to acknowledge the permanent bond between them Life story work: a story book with, where possible, photographs of each child’s journey from birth through foster care to their…
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The adoption process in 10 steps
Here’s a breakdown of the adoption process. This may vary depending on your agency but these are the likely steps involved. Step 1: preliminary enquiry Make contact with a local adoption team through your council, a charity or other adoption organisations. They will ask you a few questions to establish whether you are eligible,…
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“Our best Christmas present ever!”
Paul and Mark had always wanted to be parents. After hearing positive things about adoption through Salford City Council they decided to go for it and apply. This is their journey... Watching their two-year-old son tear round the house on Christmas Day was better than any Christmas present Manchester couple Paul* and Mark* could have…
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Our lesbian parenting story in the tabloids…
Will we be in the gutter? I was interviewed for a tabloid’s Sunday magazine recently. When the request came in we were very wary, but the article celebrates modern day mums and focuses on diversity. They needed a lesbian mum and we felt it was an important place for a positive example of same-sex parenting.…
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