Booknote: Raised by Unicorns

Frank Lowe, Raised by Unicorns: Stories from People with  LGBTQ+ Parents. Jersey City, NJ: Cleis Press, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-62778-256-2.

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Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: LGBTQ+, personal essays, memoir, anthology
Format: paperback
Source: Received full copy of book from the  publisher in exchange for an honest review

There are many books and memoirs of and about LGBTQ+ people. There are not many books about the children of LGBTQ+ parents, children who may or not be LGBTQ+ themselves, and who have a broad variety of experiences. This book seeks to fill that gap, and  it does it pretty well. A strength of this collection of essays is the diversity. We get experiences from young people, siblings writing together, adults looking back on their younger days, and we get a variety of family structures as well. Lowe certainly worked to present a broad offering of diverse expressions and experiences.

The author explains his goal in creating this book. He does admit it may not be perfect, but I think he did pretty well at this time:

"My goal was to present a diverse anthology to you, full of different life experiences. These stories run the gamut, and that is the beauty of it all.  You may notice that this book is a little heavier on the L and G, but I feel that is a snapshot of the time we are living in and is constantly evolving. I envision this as a first volume, and want to revisit it every decade or so to document the inevitable changes and progress" (4). 

I certainly would look forward to later volumes down the road.

The book is arranged as follows:

• Editor's note.
• 14 essays by various authors.
• A list of resources.
• A small note about the author/editor.

 I want to highlight one essay in particular that stayed with  me for a couple of reasons. 

Jenny Gangloff's  essay "I am not an ally" on why children of LGBTQ+ parents are not merely allies is a must read. It also reveals a flaw in the LGBTQ+ that relegates these children to being "allies," if at all "because we have been granted no other location within the LGBTQ+ narrative. . . " Jenny does point out the "ostracism that our parents have experienced, we have too. Many of us for decades" (19).

Gangloff also writes on the damage so many churches do, especially to children of LGBTQ+ parents:

"Today, children of LGBTQ+ parents are walking out of churches all over our nation just as irrevocably damaged from hate-speech and bigotry masquerading as theology. The most inflammatory hate-speech is happening from our pulpits and the unintended casualties are the children of LGBTQ+ parents who are bystanders to a war going on between equality and theology that they never asked to be a part of" (28).

 Overall, the book can be very moving and also a bit humorous at times. Some stories are happy, and some are  not, but that is the reality, and this is certainly a real, honest, and authentic book. The book is compelling, and I do believe more people need to be reading it, especially folks who may need a lesson in empathy and basic humanity. For other children of LGBTQ+ parents, this book is good reassurance that they are not alone out there.

I definitely recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars.