Parenting can look different, even two moms or two dads can give their children a lot of love. Famous rainbow families prove it
The family and its form changes over time, hand in hand with the way society functions. While in the past it was common for a household to be shared by several generations who also participated in the upbringing of children, the transition to the nuclear family has meant a redefinition of the family in terms of father, mother and children. However, even this model has not endured over time, as people have gradually begun to pay attention to their own individuality, their relational wishes, and there are currently a number of so-called "single parent" families, i.e. families that consist of a child/children and one parent. This is due to the increasing divorce rate as well as a number of other aspects. But alongside this, there is a gradual increase in the number of families made up of same-sex couples raising children (whether their own from previous heterosexual relationships, adopted children, or children born through surrogacy). Although these "rainbow families" are a thorn in the side of many critics and advocates of the so-called traditional family, that very "traditional" model has long since disappeared into the mists of time, and many children do not grow up with both parents anyway (so that they can get the much-touted "proper role models"). Which famous rainbow families can be a great example that it really doesn't matter who exactly makes up the family?
Elton John and David Furnish
The British singer-songwriter, who has also earned the title "sir" for his musical work, has lived in a shared household with his partner and husband David Furnish for many years. Both are advocates of equality and the fight for LGBT rights, and Elton John has also founded a non-profit organisation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Although the couple decided to have a family later in life, parenthood has been truly fulfilling for the singer. "Having children is the icing on the cake," he said so in an earlier interview. It was sons Zachary and Elijah who also became the reason why Elton John completely toned down his artistic activities and began to devote himself exclusively to them. However, as he also noted, he definitely makes sure that the offspring are not spoiled. "I've decided that they won't get anything for free, they'll have to earn their pocket money - for example, by mowing the garden," he also summed up.
Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni
Actress Cynthia Nixon is most famous for her role as lawyer Miranda in the TV series Sex and the City. While she lived happily on the television screen alongside her husband Steve, with whom she also had a son, Nixon's private life is muchmore"complicated". Although she was first married to teacher Danny Mozes, with whom she had two children, she divorced after coming out and started a new family with partner Christine. With her, she raised a daughter and son from a previous relationship (both are now adults), while Christine also brought their son Max into the world in 2011.
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef
Pop idol Ricky Martin is also one of those who decided that his sexual orientation would not deprive him of the opportunity to become a father. Although in the past he raised his twin sons Matteo and Valentin, who were born by a surrogate mother, as a "single father", in 2011, in one of his thank-you speeches, he basically thanked his family and his then-partner for their support. In 2018, Martin then married a Syrian-born artist, with whom he expanded his family with two more children, daughter Lucia and son Renn. "I don't want it to sound like a cliché - that I'm just another father talking about unconditional love - but it really is exactly like that. You hear it all the time, but when you feel that love getting stronger and stronger every day, it's just amazing," the singer described how he experiences parenthood. He also believes that his blended, non-traditional family can be an inspiration to others. "I want people to look at me and my family and say - 'Why not? There's nothing wrong with that! '"
Wanda Sykes and Alex Sykes
Wanda Sykes is an American actress, writer and comedian who has appeared in a number of sitcoms. After seven years of marriage, she divorced in 1998 and ten years later was one of the first black celebrities to come out as a lesbian. Soon after, she married her partner Alex. A year later, she gave birth to twins, Lucas Caluda and Olivia Lou, who the two women are raising together.
Matt Bomer and Simon Halls
Actor Matt Bomer, in particular, was very protective of his privacy at first. Although he married his partner back in 2011, information about the marriage didn't become public until three years later. With Halls, Bomer is raising three sons, Kit and twins Henry and Walker, who were born to the couple by a surrogate mother. Bomer not only relishes his parenting and guides his sons, among other things, to a distinctive fashion style so that, in his words, they "cultivate their own sense of how to express themselves, even through clothing," but he also engages in a number of charitable activities - most notably, working to fight HIV/AIDS.
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
"I'm constantly impressed by your parenting skills and how hard you work to provide for our family," David Burtka said of his husband on the anniversary of their relationship in 2021. The couple has not only been a couple for 19 years (the couple tied the knot in 2014), but they are also raising their now 12-year-old twins, Harper and Gideon.
So whatever opponents of rainbow families say, these few examples are not the only ones that prove that same-sex couples can provide a loving family environment for children. Not to mention that a number of studies have already shown that children who grow up with same-sex parents are better equipped for life in many ways than children from some heterosexual families - for example, they are more empathetic and also more tolerant, but research has also suggested that they perform better academically. On the other hand, no evidence has been gathered to date that the fact that they lacked a role model had any negative "effect" on these children...
