IN QUOTES

Zach Wahls Helps Michigan Lesbian Realize She Could Be A Mom

[There was] good energy [and a] great turnout—laughter at my jokes but solemn silence as I explained the struggles of early adolescence—[and] a standing ovation when I finished. After the Q&A and after the mingling, there was only one person left: a young woman my age, who had waited patiently through it all. We’d exceeded our time limit in the auditorium, so we made our way to the lobby, and she explained that she had ‘recently come to terms with the fact that [she was] a homosexual.’

Now it was my turn to be shocked. I had never heard someone refer to herself like that. But I simply nodded.

She took a deep breath, trembling, trying to maintain her composure. ‘I always knew I had been different,’ she said. ‘Since I was a little girl, even. And I thought for the longest time I’d never be able to have children—was told I couldn’t. But after listening to you tonight I…’ she trailed off, looking away. I realize in retrospect that she simply couldn’t believe she was able to say she was about to tell me. ‘I can be a mom.’ We hugged for a long time—I’ll never forget the look on her face.”

LGBT activist and author of My Two Moms Zach Wahls, describing an incident at a talk in central Michigan, during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. Photo via ZachWahls.com

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