15 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoisemag.com | Issue 14 | January 2016
‘Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood’ Offers Quality
Parenting Info
by Konrad Juengling
Eric Rosswood, bestselling author of the children’s
book My Uncle’s Wedding, is planning to release another book having to do with parenthood and children. This time, instead of being written for children
ages 4-8, this book is written for adults. The project,
Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood: Firsthand Advice,
Tips, and Stories from Lesbian and Gay Couples, is a
well-researched guide for LGBT people thinking about
parenthood.
The inspiration for the book came from Rosswood’s
own experience. After he and husband Mat decided to
become parents, they had a lot of questions and not a
lot of information; most of the books Rosswood came
across didn’t address LGBT parenting in the way he
was looking for. Most were written from the perspective of one professional and dealt with just one type of
parenting per book. There was a dearth of books that
offered the perspectives of multiple people. With the
extra obstacles LGBT people face in trying to become
parents, a resource manual would have been helpful.
Rosswood did a lot of research, and after the open
adoption of his son Connor, he decided to compile his
own resource manual for prospective LGBT parents.
Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood covers five different
types of ways people become parents, consisting of
adoption, fostering, surrogacy, assisted reproduction,
and co-parenting. The book offers real life short stories
from other same-sex couples broken down into those
sections, making it easy for a reader to get examples
of what other couples have experienced on their way
to parenthood. The book is more than just those
vignettes, however; there is a Words of Advice section,
a Legal Considerations section, Questions to Ask, and
a Reasons Why & Challenges section. The last section
covers why a couple might choose a certain parenting
method and then the challenges associated with that.
This book tries to answer the questions that LGBTQ
prospective parents might come across: Who will
be listed on the birth certificate? What are the challenges associated with co-parenting? With foster care,
is there a chance a child may be removed from your
care and be placed back with his parents, even after
a strong bond has developed? Are there STI risks with
assisted reproduction?
Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood has attracted support from a number of well-known people. The foreword is written by Melissa Gilbert, another bestselling
author, mother, and star of Little House on the Prairie.
She wrote, “I’ve read and have been touched by all
the stories in this book… I hope their stories help you
along in your journey to parenthood.” The introduction
is written by Charlie Condou, a gay actor, activist, and
father; the epilogue is written by Gabriel Blau, former
Executive Director of the Family Equality Council.
After being listed on Amazon this month for preorder, it has already become the number one new
release on Amazon in the Gay & Lesbian Parenting &
Families section. It is a must have for any same-sex
couple thinking about starting a family, or those interested in parenting overall.
Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood releases March
2016. It is available for preorder on Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, and wherever books are sold.