Our House
Our House: A Very Real Film About Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents should be required viewing for all prospective lesbian and gay parents. Why? Because this poignant documentary will tell you what it’s like, from a kid’s perspective, to grow up in a gay- or lesbian-headed household. And then you’ll want a kid more than ever. Although if you live in rural Arkansas, you may want to consider moving on to a more progressive climate to avoid the kind of cruelty one girl suffered when she innocently told her classmates her mom was getting married — to a woman. Despite society’s agonizingly slow acceptance of lesbian and gay parenthood, there are some very positive stories told in this PBS documentary by Meema Spadola, herself the daughter of a lesbian mom. Spadola takes us into the homes of very different families across the country, where 16 sons and daughters share their personal experiences. These testimonies range from two Mormon teenagers coming to terms with not only their parents’ divorce but also their dad’s homosexuality to young Saveon and Sandor gradually accepting “Aunt Pat” as their mother’s partner and spunky teen sisters Cade and Ry, the daughters of longtime partners Sandy and Robin. Those who missed Our House on PBS’ KLRU in June now have another chance to catch this must-see documentary. Our House is part of aGLIFF’s “A Gay Branch on the Family Tree” segment, focusing on raising a child in a gay family and also featuring the shorts “We’re Fathers Too,” “Love, Ltd.,” and “Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World.”
“A Gay Branch on the Family Tree” screens Monday, Sept. 4, noon, Arbor
This article appears in August 25 • 2000.
