Posted on Jun 2, 2022
These gay moms didn't see their family represented in children's books — so they wrote their own
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Sarah Kate Ellis and her wife, Kristen Ellis-Henderson, were tired of not seeing their family represented in children's books, so the two moms decided to do something about it.
In March, they published "All Moms," a kids' book that celebrates all different types of moms and shows that families don’t have to involve a husband, wife and child.
“We really were specific about including so many families and types of families in this book, because oftentimes, our kids feel left out of the conversation, and they can’t see themselves, and this was an opportunity to let them see themselves and be proud of their family,” Ellis, who is also the president and CEO of LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD, said.
In March, they published "All Moms," a kids' book that celebrates all different types of moms and shows that families don’t have to involve a husband, wife and child.
“We really were specific about including so many families and types of families in this book, because oftentimes, our kids feel left out of the conversation, and they can’t see themselves, and this was an opportunity to let them see themselves and be proud of their family,” Ellis, who is also the president and CEO of LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD, said.
These gay moms didn't see their family represented in children's books — so they wrote their own
Posted from nbcnews.com
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Posted 2 y ago
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It's sad that some folks think that when others want representation it is a call for special treatment. I hope we get better in America, I really do.
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PO2 Russell "Russ" Lincoln
1SG (Join to see) I don't see where they are asking for special treatment. The just created a story book to show that there are more than one type of family.
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PO2 Russell "Russ" Lincoln - Agree. What I am saying is that when underrepresented folks want or ask for representation, the well represented bigots come out and say that the underrepresented are wanting special treatment.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Good for them...
..."Ellis and Ellis-Henderson are both proud parents to their 13-year-old children, who were there when they wrote the book and an active part of the process.
“We wrote it on our dining room table and they were in and around and had comments and offered ideas and suggestions,” Ellis said. “So they’re very much a part of this book as well.”
When their children were growing up, the authors recalled, there was a book that their children would instantly gravitate to called “Mommy, Mama, and Me.” This was the only book they had that showed a family with two mothers, they said, and their kids couldn’t get enough of it.
To Ellis, it showed that “representation matters so deeply and so much for all of us.”
So the women wanted to contribute their own work so that other future families wouldn’t have such limited resources to stock their bookshelves or home libraries.
The duo first co-authored their 2015 memoir “Times Two: Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made.” The autobiography talked about their experiences being pregnant at the same time, and it gave readers a glimpse of what modern families could look like.
But still, they wanted to create something for kids.
In 2021, Ellis-Henderson — who is the founder of the all-female rock band Antigone Rising — came up with the idea for “All Moms” when she started to think about a song that perfectly described the “close-knit community” they lived in."
..."Ellis and Ellis-Henderson are both proud parents to their 13-year-old children, who were there when they wrote the book and an active part of the process.
“We wrote it on our dining room table and they were in and around and had comments and offered ideas and suggestions,” Ellis said. “So they’re very much a part of this book as well.”
When their children were growing up, the authors recalled, there was a book that their children would instantly gravitate to called “Mommy, Mama, and Me.” This was the only book they had that showed a family with two mothers, they said, and their kids couldn’t get enough of it.
To Ellis, it showed that “representation matters so deeply and so much for all of us.”
So the women wanted to contribute their own work so that other future families wouldn’t have such limited resources to stock their bookshelves or home libraries.
The duo first co-authored their 2015 memoir “Times Two: Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made.” The autobiography talked about their experiences being pregnant at the same time, and it gave readers a glimpse of what modern families could look like.
But still, they wanted to create something for kids.
In 2021, Ellis-Henderson — who is the founder of the all-female rock band Antigone Rising — came up with the idea for “All Moms” when she started to think about a song that perfectly described the “close-knit community” they lived in."
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