Girl gets adoptive mom's kidney, parents are a lesbian couple

[colinian]

We hear so many negative stories about GBLT people -- or negative things that are happening to them -- in the press these days, it's nice to read something that's 100% positive.

There's a story in today's Contra Costa Times about a lesbian couple in Clayton, California (not far from where I live) who adopted a little girl who only had one kidney at birth. Last year at Christmas her kidney failed. The two women were checked for compatibility, with little expectation either would be a match. One of the two mom's not only was a match, she was an excellent match. The transplant went well, and the story looks back on the adoption, transplant, and how the little girl and her family are doing. In particular, the story describes the outpouring of support from the people in Clayton, which shows that there are communities in the U.S. that don't care about people's orientation!

Here's the link to the story: Girl gets adoptive mom's kidney

Colin

[Trab]

Very nice. Touching, and a bit of a miracle. They don't say anywhere the parents are a lesbian couple though (unless I'm blind as a bat and missed it), not that that makes any difference.

[colinian]

Very nice. Touching, and a bit of a miracle. They don't say anywhere the parents are a lesbian couple though (unless I'm blind as a bat and missed it), not that that makes any difference.

The problem with most newspaper web sites (at least the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times web sites) is that they don't often include photos. There were four photos (one in color on the front page of the paper) with the printed article that didn't get onto the web site. The caption on one of them shows the two women with their three adopted kids. Here's the caption under this photo:

KIM RUIZ, left, known in the family as Mommy, and Terri Buckman, knows as Mama, adopted Sasha, on Ruiz's lap, Gillian and Andre from a Russian orphanage. Ruiz gave Gillian, center, a kidney.

The only reference in the article is where it says: "We've been so accepted as an untraditional family with three young ones. They don't even know us."

However, the word "lesbian" doesn't appear anywhere in the article. That doesn't bother me. In fact, I think it's great. The article treats Kim and Terri just like any other couple with three adopted kids, as a normal couple. That, IMO, is so cool. That, IMO, is acceptance.

Colin

[Trab]

I so totally agree with you. Tolerated sucks. Acceptance is everything.

[colinian]

Since I first read the article on the CC Times web site, they've added an audio slideshow with the two women describing how they intended to adopt one child and ended up adopting three. It's a great story, and they mention how they want to marry but cannot (yet!) in California.

Here's the link to the story: Girl gets adoptive mom's kidney; click on the link to the Audio Slideshow under the photo. This is something they couldn't put in the printed newspaper!

Colin