Transcript:
[opening music]
[narrator]
In early 2011, Zach Wahls stood up for marriage equality in Iowa, when he delivered a powerful speech, in front of the legislature.
[footage of Zach’s speech]
Over the next two hours, I’m sure we’re going to hear plenty of testimony about how damaging having gay parents is on kids. But in my nineteen years, not once have I ever been confronted by an individual, who realized independently, that I was raised by a gay couple. And you know why? Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character. Thank you very much.
[narrator] His testimony went viral, with millions of hits, and landed him in the media spotlight.
[Zach] To find myself kind of at the center of all this attention was a very—it was a little unnerving, at first. And—but after I calmed down, I was immediately aware of the power, really, of the story.
[narrator] To further the impact of his story, Zach is now releasing a book of growing up with lesbian parents, called “My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family”.
[Zach] I write very intimately about some of the struggles that my family went through, the challenges my mom’s faced, and how we all grew from that. My parents may have been gay, but they weren’t gay moms—they were my moms.
[music]
[Zach, continued] My hope for the book, above all else, is to really show people that this is is just a portrait of another American family, and it’s just as valid as any other American family. We eat dinner around the table, we watch NFL games, and cheer for the Packers. And so this, you know, notion that there’s something radical or scary or dangerous about gay people raising kids is—[laughter]—you know, it’s really laughable if you sit down and think about it. It turns out that the operative word in “gay parents” is not “gay”—but “parents”. What’s important, when you’re raising kids, is whether or not your parent or parents are willing to put in, you know, the blood, sweat, toil, and tears—or the time and the resources and the effort that it takes to shape these little hellions into well-adjusted young adults. My hope with the book is to paint a portrait of a family, led by a gay couple, and to really try to examine what that looks like. People who are, maybe on the other side, may be surprised by what they see. Love makes a family.
[closing music]
[end of video]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My Two Moms with Zach Wahls
