Good family values can be reinforced whatever the form of the family, including same-sex couples, says Herald columnist Diana Wichtel. Wichtel says it is disheartening to find the debate over the definition of family, occasioned by the setting up of the new Families Commission, reduced to a playground exchange of "My family's better than yours". She quotes Willie Brown, mayor of San Francisco, who once said: "You would think that those who are always talking about family values would want to create an environment of permanent relationships for people of the same sex. But they're not advocating family values. They're advocating their values." "The road to gay parenthood and, to a lesser extent, to single fatherhood is so tough that those who get there tend to be motivated," says Wichtel. "All this wrangling over hierarchies just obscures the common ground."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Saturday, 29th November 2003 - 12:00pm