Family Pride’s Blog

Family Pride is thrilled to announce that one of our OUTSpoken Families appeared on the taping of an upcoming episode of the “Oprah Winfrey Show.” The Sutherland-Trevino family, who attended Family Pride’s San Antonio OUTSpoken training in July, stepped up to the plate and shared their family story. Mark and Andy, along with their children and their great niece graciously opened their Texas home to the Oprah crews. The entire family was flown to Chicago for the taping on December 7, and was accompanied by Family Pride’s executive director Jennifer Chrisler.

The show, which will air sometime in January, is titled “Extraordinary Families.” We think that what is most extraordinary about the Sutherland-Trevino family is that they don’t have the 1,138 rights and privileges of heterosexual married couples in the United States. Some of these rights and privileges include social security survivor benefits, access to family members during times of medical crisis, custody rights and child support responsibilities.

Mark and Andy’s family story will reach more than seven million Oprah viewers, and will serve as yet another example of what a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ)-headed family can be like. This family knows, and now more members of the greater American family know, love is truly what makes a family. By sharing our family stories, we are changing hearts and minds across the country - each day we get closer and closer to our goal of equality for all loving families.

So, check your local TV-listings. Plan an Oprah party with family and friends. And if you aren’t an OUTSpoken family yet, explore the program and sign-up today. You never know what opportunities may arise!

P.S. We’ll let you know when we find out exactly when the episode will air!

Who knew that today we would wake up to the news that Mary Cheney and her partner Heather Poe are expecting their first child? Let me say first and foremost as a parent that I couldn’t be more happy for the two of them. As we all know, being a parent is an amazing experience that challenges us, fulfills us and makes our world bigger and smaller all at the same time.

But I also can’t help but note the irony of this situation. That this child will be born into a largely political family and into a society that has for the last 6 years endured the unending attacks of fundamentalists, the conservative right, many factions of the Republican party and largely under the leadership of our current President and his administration, of which Grandpa Cheney is second in command. And I am sure that it is this juxtaposition that is catching the media’s attention as it reports on the Mary Cheney pregnancy story.

Today I’ve already taped segments for CNN’s Situation Room and Good Morning America. I’ve spoken to reporters at the Wall Street Journal and LA Times and all of them are transfixed by whether this addition to the Cheney clan will somehow move Vice-President Cheney to speak out about the very anti-LGBTQ family policies he has complicity supported. Because the reality is that he’s not only hurt the millions of children already being raised by one or more LGBT parents in this country - he’s actually hurt his own soon-to-be-born grandchild.

Hopefully, having this conversation will give us an opportunity to educate people about the unique challenges we face as LGBTQ parents and that even the Vice-President’s daughter won’t be immune from those challenges. In the meantime, I’ll give the Cheney-Poe family the same advice I give to all expectant LGBTQ parents. Get lots of sleep, go on lots of dates together, see a good movie, draw up your wills, powers of attorney, and health care proxies, drive the route to the hospital where you will deliver and, most of all, get ready for the biggest joy of your life.

Jennifer Chrisler,
Executive Director, Family Pride

Family Pride received confirmation yesterday that one of our OUTSpoken Families will be featured on an upcoming episode of the “Oprah Winfrey Show!” Oprah is putting together a show on the ever-expanding diversity of American families. An OUTSpoken Family from San Antonio, Texas is excited to step up for this great opportunity.

This episode of “Oprah” will reach millions and millions of receptive viewers, and is a powerful way to let America know more about our families. The show will be taping on next week - stay tuned to http://www.familypride.org/ to find out when the show will air.