Millennial Marriages: 2 Women and a Baby

NEW YORK (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter made headlines when she announced her pregnancy in December 2006. The news was particularly noteworthy because Mary Cheney isn't straight -- she's gay. Mary and her partner represent the increasing number of homosexual couples who have chosen to bear and raise children together.

Lesbian partners Sarah Jones and Christine Jew-Ni are have two daughters, Enza and McKayla. Although Sarah and Christine each chose to bear a child, the couple made sure Enza and McKayla came from the same sperm donor so they would be biological sisters.

"Yes, we are two women raising two kids, but the things we worry about are you know, the runny noses, getting [the kids] off to school," says Sarah.

She and Christine's family represents a trend that some say is not healthy for American children.

Niger Innis, a board member of the Alliance for Marriage in New York, says, "There are intrinsic lessons that a man can teach a boy -- that a man can teach his daughter -- that a woman cannot."

That's why Lorre Fritchy and her partner Gayle Green surround their baby boy Camden with his uncle, grandpa, and other men who have become family. "A family to me is closeness, people who stand by you," says Lorre. "You build a family as life goes along."

After Lorre and Gayle got married, they felt like something was missing. "The reason we had a child in the first place was because we felt this overwhelming love for one another," says Lorre. "[Camden] was my egg, and Gayle carried him so he got to be a part of both of us."

Gayle agrees. "You're the biological mother, and I'm the birth mother," she says.

Terry Boggis, director of Center Kids at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in New York, says children of homosexuals could have a hard time dealing with conflicting opinions about homosexuality. "[Children of homosexuals] may start hearing negative messaging around gay people later on," he says. "It could be difficult for them to sort of integrate those two messages, the positive stuff they're getting at home and the negative stuff they are getting in the world."

Lorre and Gayle say they are well aware of the challenges Camden will face as the son of lesbian mothers. "[Camden] will get comments that are derogatory, and he will get hurtful comments," Lorre admits. "He will need to learn how to deal with them, and move on."

Move on ... with a little help from his two moms.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Terry Boggis
Director of Center Kids
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transexual Community Center
208 West 13th St.
New York, NY 10011
terry@gaycenter.org

For more information on gay and lesbian parenting, click here.