‘I don’t hold my husband’s hand in the street’: The sobering reality of being a queer parent

This year Pride for me is about making people recognise that things are still far from equal for the chosen family that is our wider LGBT+ community, writes Stu Oakley

I can tell you being part of a queer family is wonderful (Getty Images)

June is here, which means so is Pride. The sense of déjà vu gets greater every year. The same old arguments about whether corporations should or should not get involved, and inevitably the same cries of “why do we need Pride?” from people who don’t quite understand what it’s actually like to live in a pair of gloriously queer shoes.

Pride for me is important because it’s about making people aware of the nuanced and uncomfortable situations we as queer people can sometimes face. As a queer parent, this has become even more paramount. The safety and comfort of my young children is always at the forefront of my mind, and I have been granted a heightened sense of what it means to be LGBT+ in a straight world.

This includes not holding my husband’s hand in public – something I know a lot of other queer people can relate to. The ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) has reported that hate crimes against queer people are at an all-time high in Europe.