Listen to this radio interview, really a love letter to my son.  You can also listen on the internet site here.

It's why I'm passionate about marriage equality and my children and why I love so fiercely.

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I'm straight.  One of my sons is straight; one son is gay.  Did any of us choose to be that way?  Were we born that way?

In the discussions on gay marriage on someone’s blog, I stated, "As the mother of a gay son, you cannot tell me when he is denied the very same rights my straight son has, that is not about equality and civil rights."

I received the following comment: 

"Neither of your sons are denied any rights. You have one son who chooses not to marry the opposite gender and thus he is ...

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Had I written this 20 years ago when Rick first came out, it would have been quite different.  I might have written about my fears of gay bashing, harassment, job discrimination, AIDS.

Today my thoughts turn to more mundane things. Well, not mundane considering the state of the economy, but average – having nothing to do with his being gay.

How secure is his job? What ifs…  I worry about the same things every mother worries about.  Even though Rick and Jeff live in a safe neighborhood, ...

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So, now I’m the mother of a gay son. I’ve marched in the gay pride parade. I’m somewhat out of the closet, but not all together comfortable yet.  Everyone in the family knows and thankfully accepts and loves Rick.  The only people he hasn’t yet told are his biological father and his parents. I was concerned about how my parents would react – they are older and from another generation, but they love their grandson unconditionally and tell him they just want him to be happy.  My mom c...
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In the first weeks and months after finding out my son was gay, this liberal thinking woman, with some gay and lesbian friends, didn’t want anyone to find out!  I was afraid of what they’d think, what they’d say.  They might voice my fear, “He’s gay because you were overbearing, too controlling, you divorced his father, robbing him of male influence.”  I knew that was a stereotype and not true, but the fear was there. 

The first thing I told him when he gold me he was gay (after I...
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I’m a mother. I have two sons. Does a mother love her children equally? When my first son was born, I was only 20 years old – way too young to be a mother and too young to know it! 40 years later I can still remember the wonder of the new life that was being created inside my womb, the thrill of feeling him kick for the first time. That love is pretty special.

Twenty two months later my second son was born. Could I really love another child as much? Did I have that much love to give? Love ...
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I’ve asked myself that question often.  There are the easy answers.  I have a gay son.  I have a straight son.  I’m a mother.  It burns me that they aren’t treated equally.  I love them equally.  Why doesn’t this state, this country treat them equally? But, it’s more than that.  It’s more than one man, my child born to me 40 years ago and his loving partner of 16 years, whom I adore. I also get furiously angry at the laws that allow a woman to be deported to the Philippines leavin...
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It’s December, 1988.  My husband, younger son and I had moved to San Rafael in August, leaving Rick in Los Angeles.  The phone rings and Rick says, “Mom, when you visit next month, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” I asked him what it was about, but he didn’t want to talk about it on the phone.  I hung up with a slight sense of dread – one only a mom knows. I told my husband what Rick had said and then I say, “Do you think he’s going to tell me he’s gay?”...
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