Browsing Tag

mother

The Realities of Being a Queer Black Mother Raising Black Sons in America

A photo of black queer mother Genét Delagrange.

As a Black, queer, single mother of two young Black boys, I am struggling to have faith in society, our justice system, and humanity. When I was a young girl, I had a knack for sniffing out injustice. I had an innate fire in my belly that drove me to stand against anything I considered to be inequitable or wrong. I would relentlessly debate my mother and grandfather on issues of racial injustice, always seeking to understand why things were the…

Continue Reading

A Mother’s Perspective: Letting Go of Envisioned Futures

A photo of author Jay Stracke with his mother.

The sun started to fall below the rooftops of the houses that lined against our own. Crockpots and slow cookers stood together like a row of soldiers atop the kitchen counter, working patiently toward the evening’s meal. I felt my hands trembling as I mustered the courage to speak. The sentence was caught in my throat. My mother was halfway out the back door when it happened.…

Continue Reading

An Ode to Mami: Lessons on Womanhood

A photo of ode to Mami.

My first idea of womanhood came from my mother. I remember being a child in Colombia, physically looking up at her, and seeing her ooze femininity—although I did not have this word yet. It’s the nineties, and my mother wears lots of dresses and skirts and crop tops and shorts. I remember her in flowing skirts made of sheer fabrics and tank tops with thin straps that she wore without a bra. She always wore lots of jewelry—necklaces, earrings, and…

Continue Reading

Are You My Mother?: Giving New Meaning to Queer Motherhood

A photo of queer mother Dr. Laura McGuire

Mother, mommy, mama, madre, mami, mzza, ma. A human being's first or second word is often calling out to this person. Hospice nurses also say this is one of the last things we ask for before we pass on. The first sound any person hears is their mother's heartbeat in utero. For this exact reason, the tempo of most indigenous drum beats is the same as the human heart. …

Continue Reading

The Road to Truth: Finding Strength as a Queer Parent

A photo of queer woman Laura McGuire at Axelrad Beer Garden in Houston

I am a queer woman, Dianic witch, feminist, femme, multiracial woman, and southerner. I was born in Tennessee, grew up largely in Florida, and now proudly call Texas home. I am a certified sexuality educator, doula, yoga instructor, and a mom to two amazing kids. Needless to say, I am never bored! But while I can now claim these identities as my own, I spent most of my life trying incredibly hard to be someone else.…

Continue Reading