Had same-sex couple Amanda and Nicole grown up in the 1960s there would have been little hope for their dreams of getting married and having children to come true.
But on Dec. 31, 2007 Amanda and Nicole were legally married and just 10 months later were blessed with two beautiful children.
“I am not defined by the fact that I live in a same-sex relationship. If anything defines me it’s that I am a mother, a spouse, a daughter, a sister and a friend,” explains Amanda.
“My family consists of two parents and two children living together in a home where we are bound together by love and the commitments that we have made to each other to foster a safe and secure environment where our children can thrive. The facade of my family may be different from yours but the foundation is the same.”
Thirty-four years after Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau asserted in 1969 that “the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation,” the common-law definition of marriage was changed to include same-sex couples. It took another two years before equal marriage rights were achieved.
While lesbian couples had children, prior to 2007 a child could not have three parents, meaning that either the biological father or the mother’s lesbian partner would not have parental rights.
Prior to changes in marital and parental legislation Nicole would not have had legal rights to make decisions for her children. Thanks to the commitment of feminists and gay rights activists fighting to protect reproductive and parental rights of same-sex couples, Nicole is now legally the mother of her children.
As she explains, “Although they do not have any of my biological makeup, I feel as though they are a part of me. They fill my heart and soul and the love I have for them is like no other.”
Despite the intense debates about what is best for a child, it is evident in this family that there is a strong foundation of love, respect, and commitment that will provide a safe and loving home for these children.
Amanda asserts that, “My children did not choose this life, I chose it for them. Anyone who chooses to spread homophobic sentiments needs to remember that their hate hurts the innocent.”