NEW FILM ON GAY PARENTING IN THE UK COMMISSIONED

A brand new film about gay parents, focusing on families from the UK has been commissioned by Square Peg Media.

The film is being produced by Violet Productions and will shoot on location around the UK this summer before being shown worldwide at Gay festivals in 2014.

The currently untitled Gay Parenting film is in production stages at the moment with Violet Productions inviting any potential gay parents to share their stories.

The documentary aims to highlight the increasing prevalence of gay families in the UK, understanding the challenges, the joys and the realities that come with bringing up a family as same-sex parents.

Violet Productions is headed up by Jay Hunt, who worked in television as a producer/director for 20 years before setting up her own company in 2008.

The commissioners, Square Peg Media are the publishers of gay magazines G3 and Out in the City, as well as the organisers of the European Diversity Awards and the Alternative Parenting Show, for which actors Charlie Condou and Sophie Ward are the ambassadors. The company is headed by Linda Riley and Sarah Garrett who are parents to 6-year old twin girls.

Gay parents can contact paul@violetproductions.com for more information or for an intial chat about being involved in the film.

The films Twitter page can be found at @GayParentsUK

Lesbian Parents – What’s in a Name?

“So if she’s known as Mummy, what does your daughter call you”? Being two women with a one year old baby, this is a frequent question we are asked. Our answer, which although has had considerable thought thrown at it, is simple in its logic. With one of us Spanish and the other English, we go by the native terminology; Mummy and Mami, although given some of the identity boundaries we have faced, it could easily have been Mummy and Maddy / Dummy (a Mummy-Daddy hybrid).

L Word’s Bette and Tina made parent labels seem simple with their Mama B-Mama T set-up, however as we are beginning to learn, the dynamics of parental identity for lesbians extends far beyond a name. A long way from our initial expectations of overcoming obstacles such as public scrutiny and length of paternity leave, the hardest challenge has actually been about defining our roles both physically and psychologically. This may have been a walk in the park in some partnership dynamics where one has a much stronger maternal instinct than the other, but for us; two overly hormonal femmes with similar measures of maternity, it has at times been tough. That’s not to say we’ve fallen at the fence, but it has made us realise the importance of being open and honest with each other and that has meant a lot of talking.

Hannah and Marie at Evelyn's Christening

Aside being incredibly joyous, miraculous and momentous, the first few months of our daughter’s life were some of the hardest we’ve ever experienced as a couple. With a third person to add to the dynamics of any partnership, there is inevitably some distance put between you both as you make ‘room for a little one’, but my expectations were somewhat unrealistic in thinking that being a lesbian couple with an ‘all-feminine’ bond, we would be exempt or at least protected somewhat from the feeling of separateness couples experience when birth mother is preoccupied with baby. For me, my experience seemed barely different to that of men I know who had recently become Dads and for a while, I found myself joining in the blokes’ conversations at friend’s gatherings, muttering “poor me” a lot and discussing the notion of being shut out whilst Mum bonded with baby. This was made harder by the pressure I felt to be more of an understanding partner given my sex – a benchmark that in all fairness, I set myself but failed to reach on some occasions as I dealt with my own insecurities of being pushed out and adopting a supporting role of Vice Mum – my partner’s somewhat highly strung and volatile co-Mummy.

For a while I struggled with my parental identity, known to all as Mummy but with a maternal skill-set seemingly stripped of some of its vital tools for Evelyn. Whilst I knew this would change when I got my chance at being birth mother, it has lead me towards adopting a more paternal role. That’s not to say it’s been a chore. On the contrary I have actually quite enjoyed being the protector and provider and it’s clear that our daughter is drawn to my partner when she’s wants to be nurtured and to me when she wants playtime. For now, I’m fun-time Mummy and I’m cool with that. I guess the real test will be when I play birth mother to our next child and our roles are forced to adapt once more.

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Blog post by Hannah Revill
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NHS & NICE propose IVF overhaul to give lesbians the right to free fertility treatment

"Same-sex couples and women aged up to 42 may soon be eligible for IVF treatment, according to new draft guidelines published today. The proposals were issued by the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and featured prominently in the news, although they also include a range of recommendations not covered by the media." According to the NHS website.

"What do the new proposals say?

The updated draft guidelines released today for public consultation include the following key suggested changes:

• extending the upper age limit of women who can receive one cycle of IVF to 42 years old
• increasing the number of embryos implanted into the womb during a cycle of IVF
• excluding oral ovarian stimulation agents that have previously been recommended
• making new groups of the population eligible to receive fertility treatment

The draft proposals suggest making IVF available to a number of identified groups including same-sex couples."

According to Pinknews.co.uk,

"The recommendations, which puts same-sex couples on par with heterosexual couples when it comes to fertility treatment, is issued by the government watchdog for cost-effective treatment in the NHS, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Then new guidelines also call on health authorities in England and Wales to fund intra-uterine insemination (IUI), which uses donor sperms to help same-sex couples conceive. If IUI should fail for six cycles in a row, then, they should be considered for the more costly, and medically complex IVF, the guidelines will say."

The guidelines are open for consultation and more information including the full proposals and how to respond to the consultation are available on the NICE website. Individuals are not able to respond, however a representative of LGBT people will be collecting views to formally respond.