When my (now) ex-husband and I decided to start a family by adopting a child, I was more clueless than Cher Horowitz. To be honest, I was never really around babies that much, and when I was, I was horrified of them. Actually more like terrified of dropping them, or accidentally harming them, but still – scared shitless. I surmised that doing research would calm my soul, so I found endless books about raising babies, and even a plethora of books about LGBTQ+ people raising babies.
At a certain point, I realized there was something drastically missing in my research: the perspective of those babies.
In other words, I wanted to hear stories from children who were raised in an LGBTQ+ family. I craved knowing just simply what they thought! Did they grow up with tortured lives, did they grow up extra-confident, did they grow up normal? How the hell are these kids growing up?
I watched the movie “The Kids Are All Right,” but that only made me more confused, as it’s just fiction. I searched the internet and found a few blog posts and articles, but never a comprehensive resource.
Fast forward to me now – 40 years old, a single gay dad to a beautiful 7-year-old boy, and a somewhat accomplished writer. Most of you know me as “@GayAtHomeDad” on Twitter – which is my acerbic pseudo-persona I use to vent my frustrations. In reality, I’m nothing like that character, and I actually want to contribute something important to this world!
That being said, I am proud to announce that along with Cleis Press – the world’s largest independent LGBTQ+ publisher – I am creating an anthology of stories. The stories will be from children raised by LGBTQ+ parent(s), and I want to hear every situation possible.
The LGBTQ+ community is most likely the most diverse community in the world. With that in mind, this kind of book could not come from one person, but needs to come from many.
I need your help! In order to accurately portray a clear picture of what being raised into an LGBTQ+ family is like, I need to hear from vastly different people.
I want this book to have historical significance as it is a first of its kind, and also be a resource for those seeking more information.
Below are the submission requirements, in full.
Are you the child of an LGBTQ+ parent or parents? Are you a fantastic writer with a keen sense of wit and retrospection with a unique, true story to tell? If so, you now have a chance to be a contributor in “Raised by Unicorns,” a new book by America’s favorite ‘Gay-at-Home Dad,’ Frank Lowe.
Raised By Unicorns: Stories from Children with LGBTQ+ Parents, will be published by powerhouse Cleis Press, and aims to be an anthology that reflects on the experience of being raised by a gay, lesbian, transgender, or otherwise queer parent or parents. While stories of promise and love are of great appeal, we also seek tales of discrimination, defeats, and setbacks. This volume ultimately seeks to portray a true representation of this particular niche of the human experience.
In order to be considered, you must have a US mailing address and your story must be 3,000 to 5,000 words. Potential contributors need not identify with a particular gender. All submissions are due by June 16, 2017 and can be submitted to Frank Lowe directly at rbubook@gmail.com.
Frank Lowe has contributed to The Advocate, Gays with Kids, and Huffington Post. He has an active YouTube channel and can be followed on Twitter as @GayatHomeDad.