Sean O’Donnell hates the age old question, and he is happy to tell you why.
—
Two years ago we adopted our son Chris. We are trendsetters (not really) so this was way before gay adoption become fashionable. Kind of like how we got gay-married two and a half years years before it became legal in Pennsylvania. Or how we started watching Orange Is the New Black before everyone on Facebook was taking those quizzes to determine if they were an Alex or a Piper.
At that point in our relationship Todd and I had been together for almost 17 years, so it was either get another dog, adopt a kid or grow old in a suffocating air of quiet resentment. As appealing as quiet resentment is to both of us, I think we chose best because our son Chris is the absolute best thing in the whole world and I (we) cannot remember what our lives were like before he agreed to let us be his dads. I know we had a life before Chris, but in retrospect, I think we were just killing time until we could adopt him.
So two years ago we adopted our son Chris and became gay Dads. The best part of this (aside from our son) was that no one noticed. I mean people were happy for us and incredibly supportive, but in the context of us being two guys adopting a kid, it was not a big deal. The day after the adoption the headline in the local paper did not read: “Local Gays Adopt 7 Year Old!” It was a non-event and I liked that because it meant we were living in a time and place where something as superficial as our sexuality was irrelevant.
And for the most part that has remained true. But every now and again I am met with this question: “Which one of you is the mother?” The first time someone asked me that question, I laughed, thinking it was a joke. But when they repeated the question, and I realized they were serious, I was just confused. I mean, seriously, how in the hell do you answer that question?
“Which one of you is the mother?” Well if we’re relying strictly on gender stereotypes, then I suppose, as the more emotional of the two, that I fit the maternal role. But then in terms of household duties it’s a 50/50 split: I clean, but Todd does the laundry, and we both do the cooking. Todd is better at dressing cuts and bruises; while I just look better in a dress. And although Todd gives better hugs, I am Oscar-worthy in my role as a manipulative, overbearing drunk.
Ultimately, the problem with the question is that it is not the question. They ask, “Which one of you is the mother,” but what they really mean to say is, “Which one of you is the WOMAN?” It’s that age-old heterosexual preoccupation people have with two guys and sex: what goes where. I hate that question and I hate that anyone even considers it when they see me with my family. But oh well, there you have it. I should probably just be happy they gave me a kid.
As for which one of us is the woman? That’s easy. The one who does equal work and makes less money.
—
This post is republished on Medium.
***
Improve your writing, expand your reach, and monetize your craft.
Join The Good Men Project’s Writers’ Community on Patreon.
We welcome all experience levels.
Learn more on our Patreon page.
***
Photo credit: iStock
I’m in my 50s, and I, too, have always objected to that question from straight people: “Which one is the woman?”
And yet … in the last 12 or 15 years … I’ve started hearing people refer to themselves, and one another, as “tops” or “bottoms” or “power bottoms” or …