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Queerspawn

Patty Osborne

Spawning Generations (Demeter Press) is a collection (edited by Sadie Epstein-Fine and Makeda Zook) of “rants and reflections on growing up with LGBTQ+ parents.” The title comes from the term “queerspawn” which is what the editors (and some other “kids of queers”) call themselves. The editors were tired of having to be “poster children” with “airbrushed lives,” so they put together this collection of true stories that include divorce, addiction, death, disease, grief, depression and abuse. Sounds depressing but there’s also a lot of good stuff in the twenty-four essays. The youngest contributor is nine-year-old Liam Sky who calls himself a “rainbow kid,” has four moms, and attributes peoples’ reactions to his family as “people being confused about gay things.” Other contributors talk about having the shame from the outside world seep into their personal lives, how homophobia is an attack on family, and how having gay parents means you never have to come out to them. Older writers give us valuable historical context. What stood out for me are the descriptions of the warm, inclusive and politically active LGBTQ+ communities in which many of the writers grew up—a sharp contrast to my straight suburban childhood. It’s no surprise that many of the writers are currently active with social justice issues. Don’t let the illegible cover put you off. This book is filled with good stuff.

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