| Gay and Lesbian Parenting Goes Mainstream |
| TV |
| Ross and wife Carrol divorce after she discovers she's a lesbian. Soon after they discover that she's pregnant. Ross, Carrol and her lover, Susan, decide to raise the baby together. The child, Ben, lives with his mother and Susan, spending time also with Ross. |
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| Movies |
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| Gay parents Robin Williams and Nathan Lane try to impress their straight son's fiancee's parents. |
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| Drunk one night, Madonna and her gay best friend, played by Rupert Everett, sleep together. 9 months later, a baby is born, and the two form an alternative family. |
| Celeb Families |
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| Rosie O'Donnell recently came out to the general public, revealing that she's a lesbian and has been in a comitted relationship for the past four years with Kelli Carpenter, 34. Rosie has three adopted children, Parker (6), Chelsea (4), and Blake (2). On the subject of gay parenting, Rosie said, "'I don't think America knows what a gay parent looks like. I am the gay parent'" (06). |
| Melissa Etheridge made news when she revealed that the biological father of her two children Bailey (4) and Beckett (1) was David Crosby. Melissa and her partner of 12 years, Julie Cypher, split up in September of 2000. Commenting on the effect the breakup would have on their family, the couple issued the following statement: "'As committed parents, our top priority contiunes to be what is in the best interest of our children. Though elements of our lives will change, our family will always remain intact'" (22). |
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| Besides having two gay main characters, the show recently added a new twist. Jack finds out that he has a 12 year old son, from a woman who had artificially inseminated herself with his sperm. His son's mother, played by Rosie O'Donnell, is a lesbian. The two of them share parenting responsibilities. |