Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents by Noelle Howey

Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents Reviews

• 
  Tobi

  Wonderful collection of stories from queerspawn and, wxcitingly, there are a few writings from transpawn as well. Oddly, though, the editor was unable to get any writings from folks with bi parents, but oh well.
  
  There's not much queerspawn literature out there (queer parenting books don't count) and so this contribution of many different people's perspectives and stories is incredibly valuable.
• 
  Monica

  I recommend this book to any teenage or adult queerspawn. It is a great collection and includes the largest collection of essays be people with transgender parents anywhere. This book makes me tear up at least once every time I read it.
• 
  Lydia

  The preface of this non-fictional series of essays is written by Dan Savage. While known for his advice columns in alternative publications, Dan is also a partner in a gay relationship and the father of a child he and his partner adopted. The foreword is written by Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, Ret. PhD. and her son, Tom. Cammermeyer was the subject of a movie, Serving in Silence with Glenn Close, which chronicled her experience in confronting the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the military. The introduction is written by the editors, which explains their purpose in putting together the anthology.
  
  Published in 2000, this book features essay by the children of gay, lesbian and transgender parents. These essays cover the broad variety of experiences children, adolescents and those coming into adulthood have had as they experienced parents coming out, divorce, maintenance of a marital relationship, coping with their parents' partners, and handling siblings. But the most outstanding feature among the essays is the role societal values as exhibited by individuals, organizations, religions, employment places, and most predominantly, schools has played in their lives. In many ways, America should be ashamed when the nation purports to be concerned with the welfare of ALL children.
  
  Reading these very personal stories, written by teens and reflections from adults about their youth, should give anyone interested in America's youth a wake-up call. These essays were obviously written in recalling pain, harassment, and, most of all, loneliness.
  
  I read these essays because they hold knowledge about issues I need to understand in my personal and professional life. However, this is not only a valuable book for today's youth, but also for the teachers, parents, mentors, and all others concerned with the concept of social justice.
• 
  Chelsea Roden

  This is an important collection of raw, touching narratives. Published in 2000, it was compiled as a resource for children of queer parents, and now reads as an insightful look at post-Stonewall, post-Harvey Milk LGBT people and the families that followed. The children who wrote these essays are the age of my parents, and their parents went through extraordinary amounts of stress to lead the lives that they lead, still connecting with and enriching the lives of their children. It's weird to stand in 2016, looking back at a time where the line between secrets and empowerment was being blurred, where children were the result of trying to do the right societal thing – and despite that, their family units still worked together. An interesting retrospective read!
• 
  Frank Aaskov

  Very interesting, but of its time. As it was published in 1998, all of the stories are written by people, who grew up in the 60s, 70s or 80s. Almost all parents were previously married to an opposite sex partner, and the stories therefore often take basis in divorce and conflict, where the LGBT angle just made this even more complex. With changes to legislation and shift in public opinion, the stories of today I imagine would be vastly different, as many LGB people are choosing to become parents when in same-sex relationships. But still a good read, and the writers are very good.
• 
  Sarah

  An excellent compilation of different stories, truly representing the effects of having gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender parents in the words of the queerspawn themselves. Some of them are the happy pride family stories you expect and some are pretty fucked up and depressing, but they are all important.
• 
  Maria

  Dare I say, revolutionary? OK...I wrote a chapter for this book, but it really is GOOD. Props to editor Noelle Howey (who used to work for Conde Nast mags) who really wanted to make sure the chapters didn't just fill a niche but were written well.
• 
  Nathan Frechette

  Very insightful, and nicely varied.
• 
  Corinne

  This is the third book of essays I've read written on this topic, and even though it was the earliest written (published 2000) it was my favorite. There was more diversity, both in the subjects and in the writing styles.
• 
  Bella

  This was as healing to read as I thought it would be.