As we expand our voice, we are
thrilled to bring you our first guest blogger, Trey Lathe. Thanks,
Trey, for your contribution regarding Family
Pride’s 2006 White House
Egg Roll. Last year we attended the Easter Egg Roll at
the White House. Though we live in San Francisco, we have family in
D.C. and this seemed like an excellent opportunity to help our
families.
If the goal was to have fun, we succeeded ten-fold. If it was to
make our families visible, to instigate the discussion and increase
those “teaching moments”, then it was a resounding success.
The morning was drizzly, cool and grey the day of the “roll.” But
we were excited and all our four-year-old daughter could talk about
was finding Easter eggs. When we arrived at the designated meeting
tent (people enter by timed groups), we were greeted by a wall of
photographers, journalists and videographers. Many, but not all, in
our tent were composed of GBLT families with their rainbow leis.
Then it was onto the White House Lawn and fun. We rolled and hunted
for eggs, listened to music, took pictures. It was one of the most
memorable and fun days of our daughter’s life. Heck, she got to
meet her favorite PBS character, Leona the Lion! The entire time on
the lawn, grey and drizzly, was a huge blast for all three of
us.
It was also “visibility.” The straight families and volunteers
could not but help to see us and in those few days we were
interviewed or photographed by ABC local and national affiliates,
CBS local affiliates and national, the Washington Post, the San
Francisco Chronicle and others I haven’t counted. We must have
talked to several dozen tourists and residents too.
For our family, this was a turning point. There were no pickets,
not slogans, no shouts or protests. We required no legislative
action, we had no list of demands. We only stepped out so the
country will know us, because we believe that if they know us, it
will be more difficult to discriminate against us. And see us they
did! And we had a blast doing it.
Trey Lathe is a proud papa to
4-year-old Emma and husband and soulmate to Guy Berryessa. He
chronicles the fun of parenting and life in general at Daddy, Papa
& Me (http://www.lathefamily.org).
You can read more about the experience there.