The 27th of November 2011 marks 14 years of freedom, writes Fredy Alfaro Reyes, the director of the ninth LGBT film festival in Ecuador, which took place in four cities across the country this month. Up until the 27th of November 1997 homosexuality was considered a crime in Ecuador. This year more than 120 cinematographic pieces were shown representing 22 countries, the topics were wide ranging from youth in action to eroticism, but the overarching theme of this festival was: new families.
One of the documentaries of this genre I went to see covered many controversial aspects of homosexuals who adopt or have children through artificial insemination. ‘Daddy and Papa’ follows the story of four families who all have one thing in common, gay dads. The director, Johnn Symons, himself one of the fathers in the documentary, had been invited to the festival and was there for Q&A after the screening.
Gay men having children, how does that work? A few different models were shared in ‘Daddy and Papa’. One couple had their baby ‘donated’ by a female friend. From the start the plan for the child was that it would grow up with the two fathers, while the mother had a sort of ‘auntie’ role, she would see the child a few times a year, but not more. Then the fathers divorced. What would the child’s biggest issue be from then on forward? Being adopted, being the child of a gay couple or of a divorced couple?
Single, gay dads. Not the easiest demographic to make work on a daily basis, but two such fathers shared their moving stories. Interestingly all the adopted children in this documentary were black and male. It was explained by the director later on that more male children and way more black children were up for adoption in the US at the time (maybe still today). Another reason for gay fathers to adopt boys was that they often felt like they would know how to deal with boys better, because they are boys themselves, although in some cases it was simply not a choice for the fathers whether the child they would ‘get’ would be a boy or a girl, or which ethnic group they belonged to.
Do gay fathers make their children gay? Apparently not, as Johnn explained after the screening. The studies that have been carried out to shed light on this question all seem to say no. Are gays who adopt paedophiles? I think not. This is definitely a stereotype festivals such as this one help to dispel with time, through giving examples of these new families that are forming all over the world, sometimes hidden from public view.
To find out more visit //daddyandpapa.com/.
Love from Quito!
Chiara
Grand merci pour le partage !
Merci pour ce bel article .
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I like your Article about the LGBT film festival 2011. Perfect!