Any other LGBTQ VB'ers?

[stitchbug]

Hi! I'm straight, but a big supporter of LGBTQ....
I love that our sexual orientation/choices, whatever they may be, are becoming more and more accepted; and I hope in my lifetime, I see equal rights for all people.
Much love to you all!

[Akemi]

If you make your parenting decisions based on what bullies will and won't like, that sounds awfully compromised to me. I guess it would depend on your reasons for being a vegetarian--if it's ethical, you probably wouldn't want to contribute to cruel practices when you make food choices for your children. If you are a vegetarian for health or financial reasons, then it may not be so much an issue.

I know. You're right. But I can't help feeling selfish when forcing my future children to have yet another "strange" characteristic. I will never ever serve them meat, but what if their friends do? Or when they're invited over to a birthday party in Mc Donald's?

Would you feel OK if you're children were bullied because of something you did of chose? Even if those choices felt right for you? And it's not just one thing (being veggie), it's al least two things (having two mums) that makes them "abnormal".

It's just a thought... Just something I'm anxious about...

It would be great to have some advice from people in the same situation. Just to hear how they dealt with it.

[Kibbleforlola]

TOFU,

I was raised vegetarian. My parents 'chose' it for me (although when I was old enough to make my own decisions, about school age, the let me choose. I never chose meat.) I got teased a little bit at school, but I don't think it was anymore than any other kid got for other reasons. It didn't really bother me (not that I remember anyway), and I've always been the sensitive type. Now I'm a healthy, happy, unscrewed up vegetarian adult.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry to much about it. Just make sure your kids know why you chose why you did, and more importantly, let them know that you love them.

[Skylark]

I know. You're right. But I can't help feeling selfish when forcing my future children to have yet another "strange" characteristic. I will never ever serve them meat, but what if their friends do? Or when they're invited over to a birthday party in Mc Donald's?

Parents choose what their kids eat all the time. If an omni family invited a child from an observant Muslim family to a birthday party at their house, would they expect the child to eat pork? Well, it's the parents who say "No pork for my child," right? It's one thing when something is done for health alone, because then one meal here and there is no big deal. When it's done for religious or ethical reasons, then it becomes a matter of the parent deciding for the child until the child is old enough to decide for him/herself.

Would you feel OK if you're children were bullied because of something you did of chose? Even if those choices felt right for you? And it's not just one thing (being veggie), it's al least two things (having two mums) that makes them "abnormal".

My parents chose to homeschool me. I certainly got a fair amount of teasing for that. I was even homeschooled through high school, which is pretty rare, even in homeschooling circles. (That was a lot harder, because I didn't want to be homeschooled then, but it still wasn't my choice.) I was allowed only limited amounts of TV, movies, and non-church music. I got a fair amount of teasing for that, too. I survived.

Would you ever consider abandoning your partner and marrying a man, so your child wouldn't suffer teasing for having two mothers? Of course not. To some people, it would be a similar sort of issue to allow the dominant culture to impose meat-eating on their child before their child is old enough to make a mature decision. It doesn't have to be a heavy-handed sort of thing, where you attend every party with your child and pitch a hissy fit every time a plate of dead flesh comes within your child's eyesight, but you can make your boundaries known and respectfully insist that others stick to them.

[v0.1beta]

I'm a newbie, here, vegetarian, lesbian, feminist, french speaking, gender variant, and not feeling like a stereotype at all since no one I know would consider my "special features" as being cliché in any way. Looking through the lens of the North American LGBTQ culture, I see I fit in the picture, but in that parallel reality which is life among my relatives, friends and colleagues, I think there exists the possibilty that I actually stand out as a tiny bit out of the ordinary.

I've been living with an omni for close to 12 years.

Oh I noticed there was a discussion about nature vs. nurture going on earlier. Did anyone else ever read "The Trouble with Nature: Sex in Science and Popular Culture"? I don't believe in a "gay gene", I just think some people's minds are just bad at solving problems caused by cognitive dissonance in a way that would satisfy society's rules. And that's a good thing.

[Kenickie]

i wouldn't worry about your kids being bullied for being vegetarian.

that would be down on the scale for queer veg*n parents, i would think

[brokenbacktango]

Hey all, I'm a bisexual vegan. My sister asked me just two days ago about if I would raise my kids vegan if/when I have kids and I have to admit, I wasn't sure at first. I was so thrown by the question that I didn't give a solid answer but I've been thinking about it ever since. The points in this thread that Skylark have mentioned are sound and those were the conclusions I came to myself, the more I considered about it. Of course it won't be easy but ultimately you have to look at why YOU are veg*n and decide whether those reasons, be it ethical or health-related, are important enough to pass on to your kids. For me the answer is a resounding "yes" but ymmv.

I am good friends with someone who was raised vegetarian and I think she turned out just fine

[Purp]

I will say that I am very happy that I'm not alone in my sexuality or my dining choices.