An Irishman answered questions on Boards.ie about being raised by a lesbian couple
A man using the moniker ‘Sonics2k’ made waves this week in Ireland after he agreed to answer any questions members of the popular site boards.ie had about being the child of a same sex relationship. The forum thread was opened on Tuesday afternoon, with ‘Sonics2k’ continuing to answer questions all week in a considered, calm fashion.
Questions asked covered a vast range of topics, from being raised by gay parents singled him out as a child to whether there were any consequences of not having a father figure. Across every topic ‘Sonics2k’ reiterated that his life was as happy and normal as anyone he knows with a parent of each sex.
He said he wasn’t bullied as a child for being the child of a gay relationship: “I was bullied a lot less than any overweight or ginger kid in my schools." Sorry redheads!
What struck many commenters about his responses was how “normal” he was and how he was “just like them”. He had the same interests as any other boys growing up – rugby, karate and girls –and that his parents equipped him with all of the tools he needed to live a normal life. However, he did have plenty to say on the current debate in Ireland on the rights of same-sex couples, saying:
“When it comes to discussion on gay couples having children, it bothers me. It used to make me angry, but not I just get upset and and pity the person who seems to think a parents sexuality will impact the raising of a child in any real way, especially in a damaging way. I feel a genuine pity for anyone who is so clearly at a loss when it comes to forming a coherent argument that they must leap on a persons sexual activity as a sign of whether or not they are going to be a good parent. [sic]”
The issue of gay adoption has become a hot button issue in Ireland ahead of the impending referendum on marriage equality in May 2015. Although adoption rights for same-sex couples is an issue that is being dealt with at a legislative level, many people still see it as being tied to the issue of same-sex marriage.
The Children and Family Relationships Bill is due to be released in February, well ahead of the referendum, and this will clear up issues surrounding adoption by same-sex couples. As the law currently stands in Ireland, a gay individual can adopt a child as a single parent while it can’t be done by a gay couple.
The adoption issue is one that has proven to be very controversial in recent debates about the rights of same-sex couples in Ireland, but with legislation soon to be enacted, the debate can turn to the singular issue of marriage.
Considering the great response from ‘Sonics2k’s Q&A, the children of same-sex couples in Ireland will play an important role in normalizing gay families for those unsure of how they will vote.
Indeed this may not be the last we hear from ‘Sonics2k’ as he has indicated that he is willing to speak on the matter of being a child of a same sex couple on a more public platform. Indeed he has already been approached by national press in Ireland – let’s hope that he will use his real name next time!
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