[Global] "Love Makes A Family: Celebrating LGBT Families" by Sarah Hagger-Holt

‘We don’t always know how to describe everyone in our family,’ says Jessica, whose friend Simon donated sperm to her and her female partner and welcomed them into his extended family. ‘For instance, what do you call the mother of the wife of the man who helped you get pregnant?’

The theme of this year’s International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) - love makes a family - reminds us that people don’t have to be legally or genetically connected to become a family. They can even, like Jessica, create family relationships that they don’t yet have the language to describe!

When we interviewed more than 70 parents and children for our LGBT parenting guide, ‘Pride and Joy’, we found that new forms of family like Jessica’s, are blossoming everywhere. We spoke to families which included donor-dads, co-parents, donors, surrogates, friends, birth families of fostered or adopted children and extended family members.

Some LGBT parents deliberately seek out friendships with other LGBT parents. When she was growing up, Bryony’s mum and her mum’s female partner had a close-knit group of friends who became like an extended family. She was always encouraged to look wider than her immediate family for love, support and to enrich her understanding of the world."

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