When the Utah State House reconvenes later this month, Democratic Rep. Christine Johnson, who is gay, itās going to be pretty obvious that sheās debating bills and passing laws for two: Sheās five months pregnant. But before anyone starts asking her who the father is, sheās telling everyone: two gay men.
The pair, married in California pre-Prop 8, canāt adopt in Utah, which is banned among all the unwed (and given Utah doesnāt recognize gay marriage, well there you go). āāThis child is going to have an amazing life,ā says Johnson. āItās going to have so much acceptance and love.ā
But, uh, who are these two gay men? The Desert News, which reported the story, handily glosses over that elephant in the room, noting only:
Johnsonās decision to be artificially impregnated rose out of a dinner conversation with the two gay Utah men last spring. The men, who were married in California during the brief period when gay marriage there was legal, talked about how much they wanted a child.
Are these friends? Strangers? Members of the LDS church? Did they request anonymity? Inquiring minds!
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$0.02
Good for them. As a community I think we should do more of this and also adopt as there are plenty of children in the states and abroad who need loving, caring, competent and capable homes with parents that can properly provide, love, stability and financially for them. As a community I hope we continue and do more to support each other. Gay men to gay women, gay men to gay men, gay women to gay women and gay men, to our trans brothers and sisters, bisexuals, LGBT of different races, creeds, cultures, religions or lack of religions, etc. This is what I LOVE to see in our community! š
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Rick and Steve?
JustToClarify
I believe the dads are being kept anonymous for a reason, and that should be respected. What Rep. Johnson is doing for this couple is fantastic and wonderful, but as all this publicity evidences, the dads don’t need to be in the public eye about all of this. This involves the family only, not the family and the rest of the world.
Also Johnson never specified the gender of the baby, I think there was a confusion between her 17-year old daughter and the baby.
Regardless I’m so excited for these dads, I trust Johnson when she says they will be great parents for the baby.
Christine A. Johnson
Ladies and Gentlemen-
My decision to come forward with the story is two-fold. I wanted the public interest in my pregnancy (as a single lesbian)to be addressed prior to the legislative session, which convenes in late January. There is much work to do as we address state revenue shortfalls and it’s unfortunate impacts on our minority communities and with a mere 45 days in which to work through nearly 1,000 bills, I want my personal focus and the focus of my colleagues to be uninterrupted by my personal life.
Secondly, I want our community to understand that when public policy and cultural bias creates obstacles for us as LGBT Utahns, we must rely upon ourselves and our community to create solutions that support the lives and families we want.
The identity of the fathers is irrelevant and to protect the young family they are creating from unwanted attention, I personally ask that this curiosity be put aside. Please do not attempt to violate the privilege of knowing the story I have shared.
Respectfully,
Christine Johnson
Lukas P.
@Ms. Johnson: You are to be commended for your bravery and class for helping out the two gentlemen and for safeguarding their confidentiality.
Best wishes for the upcoming legislative session, for your pregnancy, your private life and for the family you’re helping to create. I have but a few heroes, but you are now counted among them.
Thanks for dropping by!
AlanInSLCutah
@ Christine A. Johnson:
Thank you for being open and honest about your personal life especially with this challenging decision to help start a new and wonderful family. You are a beautiful example of how LGBT people can indeed be part of a family oriented society. You make me and many others smile because of your willingness to tackle these issues head on, showing that we LGBT’s aren’t going to back down to simple criticism.
Thanks for being a positive example in this negative Utah government.