He’s gone fishing; he’s barbecuing in a comedy apron – or maybe he’s in the garage, pretending to work on his beloved car but actually drinking beer and keeping out of the way of ‘her indoors’. He’s Dad. Or at least, he’s the ‘dad’ that surrounded me in the card shop this week, as I embarked on my yearly quest to find the perfect Father’s Day card .
Once again, I left the shop empty-handed and frustrated that, out of all the hundreds of cards available, none reflect my dad, who is a lovely, kind, gentle gay man. My dad is more interested in Strictly than Match of the Day . He likes growing flowers on his balcony, travelling by train around Europe, and painting watercolours.
These are normal, average hobbies for an elderly gent but because his interests lie outside of the stereotypical ‘dad’ interests of football and fishing, I don’t see him reflected in Father’s Day celebrations . And while he is a great and generous dad, I’ve never found a card that expresses the idea that a gay man can even be a father, let alone a good one. According to figures released by the ONS, there are around 212,000 same sex families in the UK, a rise of 40% from 2015, and the number of same-sex couples raising children increased from 4,000 in 2010 to 12,000 in 2013.
Yet Father’s Day cards do not celebrate ‘my two dads’ or thank a parent for overcoming prejudice to be the best they can. To be fair, my dad doesn’t mind if we celebrate the day or not. He appreci.
