15 THE GAY PARENT

by Frank Rose

Having children in the home of gay lovers can be frustrating, fearful, frantic, or foolish FFFF. I'll be quick to say all in a lover relationship will not make good parents nor would I say it will work just because you want it to. None of us knows why we are the way we are, and that follows with children equally. Some children handle it and do it well. Of my nine children, I've had one give me the cold should. er for about a year and then quickly turn about. For awhile, I had all nine in my corner. Only four of them were actually living with us when one, age 19, elected to leave. At this writing, he still has not come around, but I'm sure he will in the long run.

What I want to caution you about is local law and opinion. The age of the child involved in a custody hearing will be extremely important to the Judge. Generally speaking, all parties to the custody case would be required to be tested psychologi cally. A lot of importance is placed upon whether or not the child's sexual awareness would be steered by the different set of parents. Since there still is no clear cut or proven theory as to what causes homosexuality, despite comments by Masters and Johnson, Ann Landers, and Anita Bryant, we can only work with a cross section of opinions. I happen to like the opinion of the psychiatry profession majority which believes that the key age is 3 to 6. While they are not sure just how or why, this majority simply feels that is the age when the child sets its' course in life sexually.

Since homosexual children come primarily from heterosexual parents, one certainly can't blame or credit the parents. In my case, my nine are all totally heterosexual! I can say that despite all the miseries of my own marriage, I did always, absolutely always, unless out of town, tuck my children into bed, kiss them good night and run to their bed when called in the middle of the night. I played with them, read to them, loved them.

So out of all this, the only strong point I can make is that perhaps conveying love is the best way to see that your child grows up, is happy while doing so, and whether he turns out hetero or homosexual, he or she will understand his or her brother and love them as a human being. I'll bet you thought I was going to say grow up a normal heterosexual sex life. Nope, not me, whatever they turn out to be, we have taught them to love, share, accept responsibility, and to accept themselves as designed by GOD.

The three children still living in my household are happy children. People tell me they see it. That is all that counts. See you around,

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INTEGRITY/CLEVELAND

Gay Episcopalians and your friends Join us in Cleveland for fellowship on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 8 p.m. Held at The Trinity Cathedral, Prospect Street In Akron call either 376-5254

entrance, 867-3354

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GOLD BLOOPERS

ог

GAY & LESBIAN PRIDE

Last month we failed to insert the title of the book in review. We received two letters in criticism and we can only say we're sorry. The book was The Beauty Queen written by Patricia Nell Warren,

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