Quill & Quire
If you believe the queer baby boom is proof that LGBT folks really are just like everyone else, think again.
Who’s Your Daddy?, a provocative set of essays, argues that queer parenting is about exploding the nuclear family, not joining it. In these days of legally sanctioned same-sex marriage, the question of whether having a family means further capitulation to mainstream mores is a hot one in the gay community. The issue is deftly handled by editor Rachel Epstein, a long-time advocate of and writer on same-sex parenting issues. Contributors include queer-lit luminaries such as Ann-Marie MacDonald, as well as unsung heroes who have experience not only with changing diapers but also with exploring unconventional methods of getting pregnant or adopting. The book examines the subject of queer parenting in all its breadth and complexity. Cultural and class divides within the community have an impact on LGBT reproduction, and
Who’s Your Daddy investigates this issue in lively ways rather than by employing dry theory. Particular attention is paid to the voices of “queer spawn” – the offspring of LGBT people – and transgendered parents, including those who have transitioned to a male identity and subsequently decide to bear children. The book covers a multitude of options for co-parenting and talks about the political implications of reproductive technologies, such as lesbian couples using in vitro fertilization so that one mother’s egg is placed inside the other mother’s womb. Parenting issues facing people living with HIV is one of the few things missing from the discussion. Not every contribution is stellar – for instance, one analysis of LGBT children’s books is didactic and predictable. But overall, the book strikes the right balance between first-person accounts and essays with a more academic tone, always leaning toward accessibility. In all, a valuable and thought-provoking resource.
Review
Postmodern indeed. As a single Black lesbian mother, I assumed that a resource like this wouldn't yet exist. On searching, I discovered a literary road map to queer parenting and family that is current, diverse and mini-encyclopedic in its breadth. Reading this work made me feel as though I had added to my family of choice. - Ruth Cameron, The Feminist Review
