Out of the Ordinary

Winner of Lambda Literary Awards for "Non-fiction Anthology" and "Children's/Young Adult Literature"

Out of the Ordinary is a groundbreaking collection of essays by teen and adult children of gay, lesbian, and transgender parents. Though there are hundreds of thousands of people in this group, this book is the first of its kind. Written expressly for the children of gay parents but also important for the parents themselves, this will be the first step for many in feeling a connection with others who have had similar experiences. The essays range from humorous to poignant and provide insight into topics such as dealing with a parent's sexuality while figuring out one's own; coping with homophobia at school and at family gatherings as well as within conservative ethnic or social communities; and defining a "normal" family in a changing world.

The book features a preface by Dan Savage, author of The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant: An Adoption Story, and an introduction by Dr. Margarethe Cammermeyer, author of Serving in Silence, her story of being a lesbian mother in the military.

Praise

"Groundbreaking, long overdue, thoughtful and moving—an impressive collection not only of remarkable stories, but of remarkable writing."—Lisa Miya Jervis, editor, Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture

"One of the best collections I've read in 20 years . . . [these] remarkable essays will educate and entertain."—Ritch Savin-Williams, author, And Then I Became Gay

"These are voices we have not heard. There is gold in these pages."—Riki Wilchins, author of Read My Lips: Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender

"Out of the Ordinary succeeds in putting words to the strange, often difficult realities of a peculiar type of growing-up. In doing so, it becomes a rare gem, a book that is as compelling as it is important."—Chelsea Cain, Ms.

About the Author(s)

By Ellen Samuels and Noelle Howey

Noelle Howey is a freelance editor who has contributed to numerous magazines and web sites, including Ms., Self, Time Out, Mademoiselle, and Mother Jones. She is also the author of Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods—My Mother's, My Father's, and Mine.

Ellen Samuels is an award-winning poet and teacher who lives in Berkeley, California. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Cornell University and has published poetry and articles in numerous literary journals.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface by Dan Savage
Foreward by Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, Ret., Ph.D., with her son, Tom Hawken
Introduction by Noelle Howey & Ellen Samuels, editors

NOTHING TO by Sophia Gould
MY FATHER'S EYES by Tristan Taormino
THE PROMISE OF DESSERT by Julie Diana Rawley
SEXUAL HEALING by Noelle Howey
ACTING LESSONS by Peter Snow
I REMEMBER REACHING FOR MICHAEL'S HAND by Stefan Lynch
MY MOTHER AND THE NUN by Kelley Conway
MORAL FABRICS by Jennifer Dimarco
FREAK by Morgan Green, with Ellen Samuels
TRANSLATIONS by Jeffrey Wright, with Christopher Healy
SMILE AND SAY NOTHING by Ian Wheeler-Healy
FATHER'S DAY by Maria De La O
THE PLAIN TRUTH by Meema Spadola
SHE'LL ALWAYS BE MY DADDY by Laurie Cicotello
TAMBOURINE DANCER by Rivka Solomon
CHARLOTTE by Meagan Rosser
GETTING CLOSER by Laura Zee
TURNING INWARD by Kris Giesing
HOME MOVIE by Becky Parker
RITES OF PASSAGE by Daniel Belasco
THE PERILS OF KNOWING by Alysia Abbott

Contributors
About the Editors
Resources