Family+Love Archives

Amorphous

By : Elija Ichabod November 14, 2020 No Comment

Despite having not spoken to her in months, my mother had found out about my engagement. I remember not even being surprised. My family collectively has a big mouth, which first became evident when my mother outed me to every person who would listen to her once I came out as bisexual my freshman year of high school - and every iteration of my coming-out since - and later was solidified when my entire extended family found out about my suicide attempt before I was even out of the hospital. I hadn’t spoken to my mother in several years at that point. I wonder if she knows about the attempt. But when she came to my graduation, she congratulated me on my engagement, even though that was the first time

(Kids) Queer Friendly Extracurricular Activities

By : Alyssa Sileo November 1, 2020 Comments Off

*Note: This article was originally published on Pride Pocket prior to merging with MyUmbrella* Extra-curricular activities provide essential developmental opportunities for youth: socially, creatively, and even health-wise. Community service organizations build character, theatre activities encourage teamwork and originality, and sports impart values of hard work and perseverance. One can see these are positive things every young person would hopefully encounter. When any extra-curricular activity leaves out a certain population, kids are missing out on these singular chances. There is an overarching fear that making activities accessible or accommodating to certain participants harms the integrity of the activity or makes it an unequal measure. The truth is, failing to make accommodations is what makes an activity inequitable. We all have the power to rewrite the rules of games, clubs, and competitions

Sperm Banks 101

By : Britney Achin November 1, 2020 Comments Off

*Note: This article was originally published on Pride Pocket prior to merging with MyUmbrella* So you’re ready to be a parent. Or you think you might be. You know that your heart is full, but biology is not on your side; you’ve heard about sperm banks, the jokes, the horror stories, the cliches. How can you know if this is the right path for your growing family? We recommend a lot of research. And we’re ready to help you get started! What exactly is a Sperm Bank?Pride Angel has a wonderful working definition of Sperm Banks (among the host of fantastic fertility and family planning information on their site) Sperm banks or cryobanks are facilities that collect and store human sperm from sperm donors, for the purpose of achieving pregnancies

Cutting Ties

By : Kat Hewitt October 12, 2020 Comments Off

I miss my mom when I eat angel hair pasta or hear Martina McBride playing. I miss her when my friends talk about spending time with their moms. I cried the other day at my best friend's house when her mom asked us if we would help her set up for a dinner party. I stood in their kitchen with tears running down my face because that was something my mom always used to ask me to help with. My mom and I are working on our relationship. In the first fifteen years of my life, we were best friends. I loved her more than anything in the world. I thought she was perfect, flawless, invincible. It’s a really strange feeling when you grow up and realize that your parents

My Mother: A Haunting

By : Spandana Janapati September 9, 2020 Comments Off

my mother is all silk skin and broken knuckles. when i was younger, i would count the wrinkles on her fingers and the lines across her palm. i wanted to know why she had more lines than i did. i never figured it out. my mother is all soft rain and wet grass. her hair hangs to the base of her neck and her smile stretches to the left more than to the right. i think mine stretches more to the right. my mother doesn’t like things out of order. every nail polish, every empty shoe box, every ripped open envelope has its place. even people had a place. she taught me the importance of silence, the value behind a closed door and i had practiced so much that even

One Foot In The Closet

By : Becca Levitin September 9, 2020 Comments Off

“God,” I thought, “I really wish I could share my acceptance into the Writer’s Cohort with my family.” I had already told everyone else important to me. As with all the happenings in my life, I told my lovely partner first, who I owe both my morning laughter and my bedtime stories to. He was delighted to hear the news and will probably be just as delighted to read of his mention in my first, but certainly not last piece for MyUmbrella. Next, I told my therapist and friends, whose resounding praise still rings in my ears as I sit and write. Two important people are somehow always missing when I try to tell the story of my queer experience: my parents. My parents were born in 65’ in the

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Category: Family+Love